Sickening Video Shows Large White Cop Choke Slam Black Man In Prom Tuxedo Outside Waffle House
On May 5, 22-year-old Anthony Wall got dressed in his best tuxedo and escorted his 18-year-old sister to prom. After a night of dancing and fun, the two went to a North Carolina Waffle House. A dispute with an employee resulted in a Warsaw police officer arriving on scene and choke slamming Wall to the ground, turning his blissful evening into a traumatic nightmare.
Video of the incident was posted to Facebook on May 8 and went viral just days later.
Although Warsaw Police Chief Eric Southerland has not identified the officer, people on social media have identified the officer as Frank Moss.
Wall posted the video to his Facebook and urged people to share
Southerland told The News & Observer his police department along with District Attorney Ernie Lee are investigating the video.
"We are aware of the video and currently working on an investigation, following up based on the video posted, doing interviews, gathering video evidence," Southerland said.
Moss was called when Wall and his friends were allegedly cursed at by a Waffle House employee for sitting a table before it was cleared. The employee then called 911.
Although the events before the choking were not recorded, the woman holding the camera can be heard denouncing the officer's actions.
Writer and activist Shaun King posted a photo of the alleged officer involved to show how his size was no match for 22-year-old Wall
In an interview with ABC, Wall said he was struggling to breathe when the officer grabbed him around the neck.
"I was pretty much trying to scream for air and trying to breathe because he was holding my throat and that's when I got aggressive with him because you are choking me," Wall told ABC11.
In the video, Wall can be heard demanding the officer's supervisor.
Wall said he was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for arguing with the Waffle House employees.
Video of Wall's violent arrest was met by outrage on social media
Southerland said that is not how his officers are trained to behave.
"It's not what you're trained to do in incidents like this but when you're dealing with someone fighting and resisting against an officer, you try to use proper tactics and go for one move, but that might not work because that person is moving or the officer is moving," Southerland told The News & Observer.
"In real versus training situations, moves don't always work out like you want them to."