Georgia Trooper Caught Stomping On Alleged Suspect; Incident Sparks Outrage [Video]

A video of a Georgia State Patrol officer stomping on an alleged suspect has sparked outrage, reviving the debate around police brutality.

Some believe the force used by the officer during the incident on Oct. 3 was excessive. “You have someone on the ground already,” Atlanta-area activist Scotty Smart was quoted as saying by WSB. “There’s no need to stomp on them.”

In one of the two videos shared online, a trooper is seen repeatedly stomping on the suspect lying on the ground. He then pulls the man onto the sidewalk before handcuffing him.

While handcuffing the suspect, the officer spotted a gun on the sidewalk and a pedestrian walking toward them.

“Back up! Back up! Don’t come over here! Stay away from that gun,” he yelled at the bystander. The trooper then retrieved the gun and walked the suspect to his patrol car.

The incident captured in the videos posted on Twitter has received over 50,000 views. The Georgia State Patrol is reportedly reviewing the trooper’s use of force during the incident.

Georgia State Patrol said the incident started at a traffic stop after the trooper noticed a man driving without a seatbelt. The driver Jamarco Kintavious Lucas, 27, was initially stopped by the trooper around 5.40 p.m. but he soon fled the scene. Lucas exited the interstate and a police chase ensued, the Atlantic Journal-Constitution reported.

The pursuit ended at an apartment complex after Lucas exited the vehicle and fled with his right hand inside his waistband.

According to Georgia State Police Spokesperson, Lt. Mark Riley, Lucas failed to show his hands at the trooper’s verbal command. After a gun allegedly fell out of Lucas’s waistband, the trooper deployed his taser twice, hitting Lucas one time. As Lucas tried to get up, the trooper delivered a “foot strike” method before arresting him, WSB reported.

At the time of the arrest, Lucas was wanted out of Rockdale County on a battery charge.

Even though the trooper used verbal warning before the strike, Smart disagrees with the use of force. “Stomping on him two or three times looks like an emotional reaction,” he added.

For the Oct. 3 incident, Lucas has been charged 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.