A US police officer, after restraining a Black man on the ground and kneeling on his neck, reportedly expressed a desire to be involved in a bar fight. Tragically, the man later passed away at a hospital.
In Ohio, police officers have faced scrutiny after video footage revealed them restraining a Black man on the floor of a bar, echoing the tragic events that resulted in George Floyd’s death in 2020.
The footage, which the Canton Police Department made public, documented the events preceding the passing of Frank Tyson, a 53-year-old man who was suspected of fleeing the scene of a solo car crash on April 18th.
The 36-minute video captures the patrol officer encountering a car that had collided with an electrical pole. According to a bystander, the driver of the vehicle had fled into a nearby tavern.
NEW: 53-year-old man dies after getting taken to the ground by police and telling them that he couldn’t breathe.
As Ohio man Frank Tyson was motionless on the ground, one officer could be heard bragging about the “bar fight.”
Tyson had just gotten out of prison according to… pic.twitter.com/vGUTHfLHI6
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 26, 2024
Upon entering the establishment, the officers locate Tyson standing at the bar. As they attempt to seize his arm, Tyson can be heard shouting, ‘They are trying to kill me!’ and ‘Call the sheriff.’
In the video, officers confront Tyson within a bar, leading to a swift altercation. Despite Tyson’s desperate pleas for assistance and repeated cries of “I can’t breathe,” the officers forcibly pin him to the ground and handcuff him. One of the officers applies pressure to Tyson’s back near his neck, dismissively stating, “You’re fine.”
Tyson persists in begging for assistance while lying on the ground. After a few minutes, the officers recognize his unresponsiveness and begin performing CPR. Paramedics promptly arrive at the scene and transport Tyson to a nearby hospital, where he tragically passes away.
In the video footage, a police officer can be heard boasting about his desire to be involved in a bar fight with one of the establishment’s patrons. The circumstances surrounding Tyson’s death bear eerie similarities to George Floyd’s fatal encounter with Minneapolis Police in 2020, which ignited global outrage.
Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch, the officers connected to Tyson’s case, have been put on administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducts its inquiry.
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