Former Fairfax police officer who shot disoriented Black man with Taser hired in Minneapolis
Fmr Fairfax officer hired in Minneapolis
A former Fairfax County police officer, who was charged with assault in June 2020 after bodycam video showed him arriving and quickly firing his stun gun at a disoriented Black man, is now under investigation by the Minnesota police department that hired him.
A former Fairfax County police officer, who was charged with assault in June 2020 after bodycam video showed him arriving and quickly firing his Taser at a disoriented Black man, is now under investigation by the Minnesota police department that hired him.
Although a northern Virginia jury found Tyler Timberlake not guilty of three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery in March 2020, bodycam video released by the Fairfax County Police Department around the time of the incident shows Timberlake shooting Lamonta Gladney after other officers had spent several minutes trying to persuade him to get into an ambulance to go to a detox center.
VIDEO: Fairfax County Police Officer Charged with Assault
Police Officer First Class Tyler Timberlake, was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery after tasing incident. WARNING: This video contains images and audio that some may finding disturbing or upsetting (Fairfax County Police Department)
The footage shows that Gladney had been wandering on a residential street in the county’s Gum Springs neighborhood. After shooting Gladney with a Taser, Timberlake then used his knees to pin Gladney to the ground and punched him in the back of the head as Gladney cried out.
Timberlake then used the Taser again, pressing the device into the back of the man’s neck.
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Nearly one year later, Timberlake joined a new police force in Minneapolis. Somehow, his previous actions may have been overlooked during the hiring process.
His new boss is the first police chief appointed to lead the Minneapolis Police Department after the murder of George Floyd.
In a statement to FOX 5, Chief Brian O'Hara said:
"I am extremely concerned about what I have just learned pertaining to the hiring of this individual who is currently in agency training and yet to be deployed into service. Effective immediately, I am directing that a thorough investigation be conducted into this matter."
"The individual in question will not be deployed or serve in a law enforcement capacity in any way until we conclude a full investigation into this matter," the statement continues. "We will get to the bottom of this and take whatever measures are necessary to ensure we are always hiring officers who meet our standards and that we are ultimately placing only the most qualified and competent police into the service and protection in the City of Minneapolis."
The incident between Timberlake and Gladney took place on June 5, 2020 — just weeks after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes as he was handcuffed lying face-down in the street.
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Timberlake recently left the Fairfax County Police Department under his own terms before being hired in Minneapolis. In June 2022, Gladney received a six-figure settlement from Fairfax County after filing a lawsuit alleging that Timberlake tased and punched him for no apparent reason.