Georgia State Patrol said a trooper's use of force is under review after footage of him stomping on an armed suspect who fled a traffi...
Georgia State Patrol said a trooper's use of force is under review after footage of him stomping on an armed suspect who fled a traffic stop has gone viral.
The review into the unnamed trooper's use of force comes after footage of his pursuit of an armed suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jamarco Lucas, has been widely shared online.
The dramatic footage shows Lucas land on the sidewalk while being chased by the trooper who then stomps him twice before pulling out stun gun and apprehending him.
Georgia State Patrol spokesman Lt. Mark Riley told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the stomping was actually a maneuver called a 'foot strike' used by the agency to detain suspects.
An unnamed trooper's use of force is under review after footage of his pursuit of 27-year-old Jamarco Lucas, on foot has been widely shared online
The trooper remains on duty while the incident is under review, GSP confirmed.
The incident kicked off on Sunday afternoon when the trooper pulled over Lucas in his 2019 Dodge Challenger for driving without a seatbelt.
Lucas initially stopped but then fled the traffic stop. That led to a police chase, before he got out of his car and initiated the foot pursuit.
GSP said that the trooper saw Lucas leave his vehicle 'with his right hand inside his waistband' and observed a handgun fall from Lucas' waistband during the foot chase.
The trooper did not see where the weapon fell, and when when Lucas fell to the ground the trooper commanded him to show his hands.
When Lucas refused to do so, the trooper deployed his Taser twice, hitting Lucas once, GSP said.
Lucas, who was wanted out of Rockdale County on a battery charge from 2017, was subsequently arrested following the chase.
GSP said that at that moment the trooper was unaware if the driver was still armed.
When the 27-year-old appeared to try to get up again the trooper 'applied a foot strike to the center of the driver's body, and then another to the driver's right-hand area, which appeared to still be in the waistband.'
While handcuffing Lucas the trooper 'observed a handgun laying on the sidewalk between his location and a bystander' and retrieved the weapon, GSP said.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Use of Force Policy says that officers are able to use physical strength to control a suspect, including foot strikes.
Lucas, who was wanted out of Rockdale County on a battery charge from 2017, was subsequently arrested following the chase.
Police charged him with fleeing or attempting to elude, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, reckless driving, speeding, improper lane change, failure to obey a traffic control device, driving while unlicensed and no seatbelt.
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