Fairfax County police officer charged with assault after tasing man
VIDEO: Fairfax County Police Officer Charged with Assault
Police Officer First Class Tyler Timberlake, was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery after tasing incident. WARNING: This video contains images and audio that some may finding disturbing or upsetting (Fairfax County Police Department)
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A white Fairfax County police officer was arrested after tasing a black man while on duty, officials said in a press conference Saturday night.
Authorities said Tyler Timberlake, who has been on the force for eight years, was charged with three counts of assault and battery.
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Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said the initial call came in from neighbors for a man in that needed medical help.
In body camera footage, you see the man pacing in the street near an ambulance, shouting that he needs oxygen.
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Moments later you see the officer approach the man and tase him as he falls to the ground. The officer then uses his knee to hold the man down.
"This is unacceptable," Roessler said. "We need to do better as a profession."
Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said the body camera footage of the incident played an important role in the investigation.
Timberlake faces up to 36 months in jail.
Jeffrey McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement that he is "angry" over the incident.
"This has been a particularly hard couple of weeks for our community, and what we’ve heard tonight will make healing more difficult," McKay said.