T.I. Is Demanding Answers From Democratic Candidates After Posting This Video Of 14 Police Officers Brutally Arresting A Black Man
Atlanta trap icon T.I. is demanding answers after cops appeared to use excessive force in an arrest on a Black man in a video that recently emerged online.
The Grand Hustle honcho posted the disturbing four-minute long video of the altercation to his official Instagram page on Thursday (Feb. 13). In the post’s caption, Tip posed a direct question toward Democratic presidential candidates, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigeg, in response to the officer's alarming methods.
“Question America...This is how you apprehend a Black man in America??? But a Caucasian mass murderer you stop at a drive thru!!! I'd LOVE TO HEAR HOW Y'ALL FEEL ABOUT THIS,” he wrote, referencing Charleston shooter Dylann Roof, who was infamously taken to a Burger King following his arrest in 2015. As previously reported, Roof heinously opened fire on Black church goers gathered for worship at the historical Mother Emanuel AME Church, taking nine lives.
The video opens with an unidentified Black man, lying on his back, being aggressively detained by three police officers at what appears to be a Starbucks shop. The situation escalates after the detained man manages to wrangle one arm out and can be seen reaching up. It’s not clear what the detainee’s intentions were, but the officer in question then proceeds to punch the man in the face.
The cop loses his grip, adjusts himself and begins to repeatedly strike the man in the face. “Turn over,” the cop demands before he raises his fist and lands another blow. Barely coherent, the man shouts unintelligible words to onlookers. Two more responding officers run into the frame as the same cop lands a few more blows.
“He’s foaming at the mouth,” a man points out from behind the camera as a woman asks if the detained man is having a seizure. All of the present cops continue to wrestle with the man as witnesses can be heard warning that he might be in medical distress. At one point, the female officer appears to deploy her taser on the man also.
Around the 2-minute mark, three more cops run onto the scene. Some of them release their hold on the man, who is lying prone at that point, as they appear to relay information via their walkie-talkies. A total of 14 officers surround the man and appear to hogtie him, according to HipHopDX. It’s not clear what led to the authorities being called on the man but the visual is definitely disconcerting.
Viewer discretion is advised in the disturbing footage below:
