Pharoah said, recalling that he was caught off guard because he was wearing noise-cancelling headphones at the time. “I see him coming with guns blazing, I see him say, ‘Get on the ground, put your hands up like you’re an airplane.’”

…The incident took place on April 26 of this year — a week before the video of Arbery’s death was made public.

The video shows four officers approaching Pharoah on the street and having him lie face down with his arms outstretched above his head before one officer places a knee on his neck and puts him into handcuffs. Pharoah said the officers informed him that he matched the description of a man they were searching for in the area.

Jay Pharoah Says LAPD Officer Knelt on His Neck, Shares Security Footage

sigh….

The deputies’ decisions to chase and repeatedly use their Tasers on a man who simply failed to dim his lights prompts questions about the agency’s practice of pursuing drivers for minor crimes.

“It is of very serious concern to any of us who are in law enforcement that the decision to engage in that chase was driven by more of a need to provide entertainment than to keep Williamson County citizens safe,” said Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore.

…Investigators say Chody and “Live PD” producers have repeatedly stonewalled their efforts to obtain evidence or interviews with the officers involved.

…Backup Deputy Zachary Camden, who is white and was also accompanied by a “Live PD” crew, arrived and shoved his Taser into Ambler’s upper back “in a drive-stun motion.”

As the struggle continued, deputies used a Taser on Ambler a third time, though the report said it was unclear which  man deployed his weapon.

…Body camera video from that officer captured the final minutes of Ambler’s life:

Deputies yell at Ambler to lay on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. One presses a Taser into his upper back.

“I have congestive heart failure,” Ambler says. “I have congestive heart failure. I can’t breathe.”

As the deputies scream orders, Ambler, between gasps, tells them he’s trying to follow their commands. Another four times he tells the deputies he can’t breathe.

“I am not resisting,” Ambler cries. “Sir, I can’t breathe. … Please. … Please.”

…A death-in-custody report filed with the Texas attorney general’s office — a procedure required anytime a person dies in police custody — said Ambler did not attempt to, nor did he assault deputies, and he did not verbally threaten others nor attempt to get control of any officers’ weapons.

…Because the chase ended in Austin, the Austin Police Department Special Investigations Unit is investigating with Moore’s Civil Rights Unit.

The Statesman began looking into the case in February after investigators said they were troubled about what they were learning and frustrated that they felt stymied by Williamson County’s failure to cooperate.

Texas police chase ends in death. “I can’t breathe,” the man cries.

Live PD is disgusting.
There need to be some murder charges here.

One such post includes an image of a blood splattered truck with the caption “Just drove through Minneapolis, didn’t see any protesters.”

…Another shows Hess wearing a t-shirt with the words “All lives splatter. Nobody cares about your protest. Keep your ass out of the road.”

The t-shirt also features a cartoon image of a car driving through a crowd of people and knocking them into the air.

West Virginia Fire Chief Fired For Wearing ‘All Lives Splatter’ Shirt Depicting Car Running Over Protesters

hmmm

Many of these posts were accompanied with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter or #blm instead of #BlackoutTuesday, reducing the power of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag to spread information about the protests and wider justice movement. “Please don’t use the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter because it is flooding the hashtag search,” Minneapolis rapper Lizzo said in an Instagram video.

…The California R&B star Kehlani criticised the potential for #BlackoutTuesday to suppress the sharing of information between protesters. “While I do appreciate the idea … don’t y’all think getting off our form of communicating with each other, sharing info, seeing news … for a whole day … in the middle of a war on us … is kinda dangerous? By all means don’t spend. But we need each other on HERE.” She continued: “Anything could go down wit no ability to warn each other/help each other.”

…The British producer Mura Masa condemned the push for silence, saying: “Inaction is what got us here.” 

….Lizzo encouraged her fans to vote in the US presidential primaries. “There are many ways to protest. Find your voice and use it.”

Lizzo and Lil Nas X criticise Blackout Tuesday for obscuring protests | Lizzo | The Guardian

hmmm