Video from a Tennessee deputy’s body camera shows the Knox County officer and his colleagues shocking an unarmed suspect with Tasers 10 times at 50,000 volts each during an arrest for public intoxication.
The footage was recorded in January, but was made public this week as part of a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit filed 31-year-old Paul Branch, accusing two deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department of using excessive force on him while he was ‘completely incapacitated.’
In his complaint, Branch claims he was not resisting arrest and posed no threat to anyone during an incident that took place on January 16, when county deputies and firefighters responded to the plaintiff’s Knoxville home for a report of a fire.
Video from a Tennessee deputy’s body camera shows Paul Branch getting arrested on a public intoxication charge on January 16
Shocking: After Deputy Paul Saah has trouble cuffing Branch’s hands, his deploys his stun gun, causing the man to collapse to the ground
Again and again: Over the next five minutes, Branch would be shocked nine more times, at 50,000 volts each, for a total of 64 seconds
While Branch is rolling on the ground, Saah instructs Deputy Christian Gomez, ‘shoot him’
Branch’s federal lawsuit details that he was shocked five times for five seconds each and one time for 11 seconds by one deputy Saah, and four times for five seconds by another
According to court records obtained by Knoxville News Sentinel, deputies found Branch sitting shirtless in a fire truck.
Deputy Paul Saah later stated that Branch appeared confused and was ‘not coherent.’ He allegedly told the officer that he had ‘taken a bunch of vitamins and Mucinex.’
The 31-year-old was charged with public intoxication after telling a deputy he had taken vitamins and Mucinex
The five-minute bodycam video begins with Saah instructing Branch to put his hands behind his back.
Branch complies, but Saah has trouble with one of the handcuffs and orders him to ‘relax a little bit, dude.’
After struggling with the restraints, a second deputy pushes Branch’s head against a truck and Saah warns him, ‘You’re going to get stunned right now.’
Deputy Saah then shocks Branch with his stun gun, causing him to collapse to the ground face first.
While Branch is rolling on the ground, Saah instructs Deputy Christian Gomez, ‘shoot him.’
Over the next five minutes, the 31-year-old would be Tasered nine more times, including in the chest and neck.
The video shows a total of four deputies struggling to restrain the unarmed man.
‘He’s as strong as an ox,’ Saah remarks at one point.
Knox County Deputies Paul Saah (left) and Christian Gomez (right) are seen in the video tasering the suspect, who was accused of showing resistance during the arrest
Branch was eventually arrested and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. That case is still pending.
Arrest warrants suggest that Branch resisted arrest by ‘pulling away’ from the deputies and filing to give them his hands to be cuffed.
In the bodycam footage, he appears unarmed and does not attempt to attack any of the deputies. He also seems to comply with Deputy Saah’s initial command to put his hands behind his back.
The lawsuit details that Branch was shocked five times for five seconds each and one time for 11 seconds by Deputy Saah, and four times for five seconds by Deputy Gomez. Both officers remain on duty, reported the News Sentinel.
Young professional: Branch works as a DJ and audio/video engineer specializing in creating light shows for events. Prior to his run-in with the deputies in January, he had no criminal record
According to Branch’s federal complaint, the excessive force exercised by the officers caused him to spend the next few days in a state of confusion, and the stun gun shocks made the 31-year-old ‘defecate and urinate on hazed, which caused him severe psychological harm.’
The lawsuit seeks $3million in damages and is scheduled to go to trial on October 24, reported Local 8 Now.
According to his Facebook page, Branch works as a DJ and audio/video engineer specializing in creating light shows for events. Prior to his run-in with the deputies in January, he had no criminal record.