A police officer in Fairfax County, Virginia, used a Taser on a Black man, Lamonta Gladney. He also punched him during the 2020 occurrence that had been recorded. Officer Tyler Timberlake committed these actions without provocation, Gladney said.
Now, a $150,000 settlement has been reached in federal court. Under the deal, the defendants, Fairfax County and Officer Timberlake, didn’t admit to any wrongdoing. Gladney had sued to be compensated for the losses he endured. He also wanted to modify government methods to ensure future injuries don’t occur.
A recording of the incident depicted Timberlake tasing and punching Gladney. This was after the officer had only been on the scene for less than 10 seconds. The officer had come to the location after Gladney was seen speaking incoherently and walking around in circles on a street.
This year, Timberlake was found not guilty of misdemeanor assault charges in relation to the incident.
Timberlake had said that his actions were justified. This was because Gladney seemed to be on PCP and was a threat to emergency crews and others. He added that he thought that Gladney was someone who had been wanted for felony violence.
