Nationwide — Tyler Laday, an African American man from Lake Charles, Louisiana who uses a wheelchair, was forcibly removed from his chair and thrown to the ground by police after a neighbor called 911 about a “loud” group outside. The arrest, captured on video, has sparked outrage online.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. on December 1st. Laday, 22, was with friends when officers arrived after the disturbance call. Police told the group to quiet down and leave, which Laday says they tried to do.
Video footage shows Laday rolling away when an officer grabbed his wheelchair. Other officers quickly surrounded him, with tasers drawn. One officer then dragged Laday from his chair and forced him to the ground to put on handcuffs.
Laday said he couldn’t follow orders to put his hands behind his back while in a wheelchair. He asked to have the cuffs placed in front instead, but officers ignored him. He said they twisted him to the ground and cuffed him despite his protests.
“Even if I did something wrong, y’all didn’t have to handle the situation like that. Y’all could’ve handled it differently. You feel me, I’m in the wheelchair, it’s not like I can just jump off. How can I resist y’all? I’m in a wheelchair, I’m not going nowhere, y’all didn’t have to do it like that,” Laday told KPLC.
Police Chief Shawn Caldwell said the video “didn’t look pretty” but defended officers, saying the same tactics are used for all arrests. Social media users expressed shock at the footage, and Laday said the force used was unnecessary and excessive.
Laday now faces charges including disturbing the peace, trespassing, resisting an officer, and battery of an officer. He plans to file a complaint against the police, while no internal investigation has been launched yet.