A Black Georgia man was shot with a Taser by deputies while in the Richmond County Jail despite appearing to pose no threat.
According to an initial report of the incident, Carlos Seals was being combative and would not comply with authorities. But video footage obtained by WSB-TV tells a different story.
The footage shows Seals standing up against a wall in the jail with his hands behind his back. Deputies can then be seen using their stun guns on him, causing him to have a severe head injury.
“I screamed and everything was over with,” Seals said.
In the video, Seals can be seen with his face against the wall, hands behind his back when you see two deputies fire their stun guns.
“I watched him come through the door and he say pop his a**. As soon as said that, dude shot me back,” Seals told the news outlet.
When Seals hit the floor, he was knocked unconscious. The video then shows four deputies standing over him and after a minute and a half, one checks his pulse.
The incident happened on Aug. 30, 2015. Deputy Donnie Crawford wrote that Seals was being combative and would not comply with law enforcement. He has since been terminated by the force.
“None of those facts applied,” DeKalb County based attorney Anita Lamar said. “He was in surrender position.”
Lamar and Attorney Craig Jones filed a federal lawsuit against Richmond County, Deputy Donnie Crawford and Deputy Christopher Alex over the incident.
“They are refusing to pay the bills, so now not only does he have injuries to deal with but has bills to pay,” Lamar said.
Seals has more than $20,000 in medical bills.
Currently, the case is in the preliminary stages of investigation. If the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t settle and decides to go to a jury trial, it could take more than two years.
