Nationwide — Lanier Johnson-Hunt, an 18-year-old African American teen from Fulton County, Georgia, says police used excessive force after tasing him on a school bus, despite his insistence that he did nothing wrong. A video of the incident has since gone viral, drawing widespread attention and raising questions about what happened.
Johnson-Hunt spoke publicly this week after the footage spread online. At a news conference, he showed marks on his chest where taser prongs pierced his skin and said he followed school rules and posed no threat.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, he said he boarded the same bus he had taken for years and was focused on getting home to care for his 6-year-old brother, who has autism. “He was merely trying to get home to take care of his little brother. He was on the right bus,” said Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP.
Video recorded by another student shows a school police officer confronting Johnson-Hunt after a bus driver contacted administrators. The driver claimed the teen was not assigned to the bus. School officials then ordered all students off before allowing them back on without verifying bus assignments, according to Johnson-Hunt.
When police arrived, Johnson-Hunt said officers told him to leave his seat. After he refused, one officer appeared to grab him by the neck, pull him off the bus, and deploy a Taser. A second taser sound can be heard in the video.
Johnson-Hunt said that after being handcuffed, the officer slapped him and attempted to tase him again until school administrators intervened. He said he weighs about 115 pounds, and his attorney argued that the level of force used was unnecessary.
The incident happened outside Langston Hughes High School last Thursday. Fulton County Schools later confirmed the officer involved was removed from active duty during an internal investigation and described the incident as isolated.
Johnson-Hunt was suspended for 10 days and charged with obstruction, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. His mother, Sharrita Johnson, said she initially trusted school officials to handle the matter properly but felt differently after learning more details.
“I was like, okay, if he did something wrong, then you guys handle it. But then, when I got the complete truth, it hurt,” Sharrita Johnson said.
The family has not filed a lawsuit but says it is considering legal action. They are asking for the suspension to be lifted, the charges dropped, and for Johnson-Hunt to return to class while the investigation continues.