Washington: A police officer in the US state of Georgia has been fired after footage emerged of him pinning an African-American man to the ground and punching him as the latter reportedly refused to show his ID, the media reported on Monday.
The incident took place on September 11 near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when the victim, Roderick Walker, 26, his girlfriend, their five-month-old child and his step-son were riding in a Lyft cab when two Clayton County Sheriff deputies pulled the car over for a broken taillight, the BBC reported. The cab driver reportedly did not have his ID, and the deputies then asked the victim to show his.
After an altercation, the police tried to arrest him.
Video shared on social media showed Walker being held down by two white deputies, one of whom punches him.
According to the victim’s lawyer, Walker lost consciousness at least twice during the arrest. A photograph of Walker taken later in custody shows him with a swollen left eye.
In a statement on Sunday, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office said “the deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker” was to lose his job “for excessive use of force”.
Meanwhile, Walker has been charged with two counts of obstructing officers and two counts of battery. (IANS)
