August 05, (THEWILL) – An incident between Jaxson Hayes, centre basketballer for the New Orleans Pelicans and policemen from the Los Angeles Police Department during a recent arrest of the player involved the use of tasers as a video of the arrest which surfaced on Wednesday showed.
Supposedly captured by an eyewitness, the video showed Hayes on the ground alone against three officers, one of whom appears to tase him in the chest. Two of the cops then roll on top of Hayes and handcuff him before they notice the person filming.
Police then approach the eyewitness recording and the video shuts off at that point.
According to TMZ Sports, Hayes was arrested in the early hours of July 28 in Los Angeles and charged with resisting arrest. Later, Michael Moore, the Los Angeles Police Department Chief announced that the Department was launching an investigation into whether excessive force was used.
That was considered necessary to factually ascertain all that went into the arrest of the Pelicans centre, because even the video footage did not capture any of how Hayes ended up on the ground in the first place and tasers were used on him.
An initial statement from the LAPD alleged that Hayes was the initial aggressor. It read: “Body worn video captured Hayes repeatedly attempting to enter the residence despite officers blocking his path and verbal commands for him to remain outside.
“Officers requested a backup and they attempted to place Hayes’ hands behind his back; however, Hayes broke free of the officers’ grasp and pushed one of the officers into a wall.”
In a frightening recall of how George Floyd died, Hayes alleged that at one point during the altercation with police, pressure was applied to his neck and he had trouble breathing. This prompted the investigation to determine if excessive force was involved.
About the incident, the LAPD said they were responding to a call received about a potential domestic violence situation in the early morning hours of July 28. The police said they meet Hayes outside and, despite being asked to remain outside, he continually tried to enter a residence.
In the aftermath of the arrest, Hayes had to be treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and later released from custody on $25,000 bond. The LAPD also said a woman declined to cooperate with an investigation into potential domestic violence involving Hayes, personally.
The 6’11” tall 21-year-old was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Texas. Although, he has spent his first two NBA seasons with the Pelicans, last season he averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 60 appearances.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
