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Officer Robert McDonald, a Gwinnett County police officer in Georgia, has been fired after footage of a traffic stop shows him stomp a handcuffed man in the head.
What Happened?
On Wednesday afternoon, officer Robert McDonald responded to assist a supervisor with a traffic stop.
The video, which was described as “very disturbing” by a police spokesperson, was captured on a cell phone by another driver in traffic. An ambulance responded to the scene and treated the man.
In the incident report, the officer said he stopped the vehicle because it did not have a license plate and instead a blank piece of white cardboard where the tag should have been.
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While approaching the car, officers reported the person inside appeared to be placing or grabbing something from under his seat.
The man in the car, Demetrius Hollins, attempted to restart his car. Police directed him to leave the car off. Police report they smelled marijuana from the car and told the drive he had been pulled over for changing lanes three times without using a signal.
Hollins handed the officer his license and “began to act strange,” according to incident report. He started yelling “I need to call my mom” and “You have to let me go”.
The officer then realized he had arrested Hollins in August 2016 for having marijuana and a loaded gun in the car. At this point, he requested backup.
“Sir, calm down and let me do my job. I have to make sure your license is good and that the car is not stolen,” the officer said.
Hollins replied, “It’s not stolen anymore. They stole it from me but I got it back.”
Police then asked him to repeat what he just said. Hollins started yelling, “The kids in the neighborhood stole it so I stole it back. It’s mine!”
Officers ordered Hollins out of the car, to which he refused. McDonald then told him that he was under arrest.
“Get out. You are under arrest. Do it now or I will tase you,” McDonald yelled.
Hollins turned away from the officer. McDonald reported in the incident log that he feared Hollins would reach for a weapon or try to start the vehicle and drive off. In the August 2016 incident, he allegedly reached for a loaded firearm under his seat.
The officer then grabbed Hollins by his shoulder inside the vehicle and pulled him out. At first, Hollins put his hands up. The incident reports indicates Hollins resisted. McDonald then deployed his taser.
The shift commander initiated an immediate investigation into the incident, according to Gwinnett County Police. The Police department announced Thursday afternoon they also launched a criminal investigation that will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s office.
“What happened yesterday was clearly outside of state law and department policy. We do not tolerate actions that are not consistent with our core values or state law,” a police statement said.
Who Is Robert McDonald?
Robert McDonald is a Gwinnett County Police Officer in Georgia. He has been fired for kicking a handcuffed man in the head during a traffic stop.
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