Memphis Police Chief Gives Details on Tire Nichols Arrest 4:50
(CNN) --
Video footage from a traffic stop that led to the fatal beating of a 29-year-old black man shows "acts that defy humanity," the Memphis police chief told CNN's Don Lemon this week. friday.
"You're going to see a disregard for life, the duty of care we've all sworn to, and a level of physical interaction that is above and beyond what is required in law enforcement," stated Cerelyn "CJ" Davis. this Friday to Don Lemon.
"People who see it will feel what the family felt. And if they don't feel it, they are not human beings. And we are all human beings. And I think there will be some sadness as well," he added.
Breaking news and news on the death of Tire Nichols
"I heard him call his mother, his mother," Davis said, referring to the video.
"Just the contempt for humanity... That's what really tugs at your heartstrings and makes you wonder: why did everyone who came to the scene not care about this person?"
"I was working in law enforcement during the Rodney King incident, and it's very much like that kind of behavior," he said, referring to the 1991 beating by Los Angeles police that sparked outrage around the world. country.
"I would say it's about the same, if not worse."
advertising
Police have also been unable to find anything to corroborate probable cause of reckless driving by Nichols before his fatal encounter with police, he said.
"We haven't been able to corroborate that at this time," Davis told Don Lemon.
"That was the reason he was allegedly detained at the beginning."
Five Memphis officers were charged Thursday in Nichols' death following a traffic stop earlier this month.
Tire Nichols' mother recounts how she found out about her son's arrest 2:16
And amid concern over what has been described in the footage as a vicious police beating of Nichols, authorities are calling for any demonstrations over Nichols' death to be conducted in a civil manner.
Memphis City Council President Martavius Jones told CNN on Thursday that he hopes the charges brought against the officers will help allay community concerns that the matter is not being treated seriously.
"Our next step will be to see what the video actually looks like, and we hope that since we have filed this accountability, the community will accept that steps are being taken to bring justice to the individuals responsible for this act," Jones said.
Nichols, 29, had fled his vehicle after a traffic stop on January 7, police said.
After a brief pursuit, officers captured Nichols, who was hospitalized after the arrest and died on January 10.
Nichols' family and their lawyers have described the detention as a prolonged and brutal attack after authorities showed them the footage on Monday.
Police and city officials have also expressed shock and disappointment at how officers used force against Nichols during the arrest.
The images are "reminiscent of Rodney King in many ways," said Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Nichols family.
Although white officers were involved in the King incident — Nichols and the five accused Memphis officers are black — the violence observed is similar, Crump said.
What we know, and what we still don't know, about what led to the death of Tire Nichols
"They are attacked, mistreated, beaten, kicked, electrocuted, sprayed with pepper spray. It is very worrying," he said.
Police authorities in several major cities across the country have stated that they are on the lookout for any potential public protest this weekend over what will be seen on the video footage.
Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, is calling on supporters to be peaceful during the demonstrations, saying at a vigil in Memphis on Thursday that she wants "each and every one of you to protest in peace."
"I don't want us to burn our cities, to destroy the streets, because that's not what my son stood for," he said.
"And if you're here for me and Tire, then protest peacefully."
police abuse