Police Officer From Atlantic County Facing Excessive Force Charge
A lot has been discussed this year regarding the police's use of excessive force. So much so, that policies have been changed by New Jersey's powers-that-be stating that excessive force can now only be used in dire situations.
A police officer from Atlantic to County is now facing the consequences of those policy changes as he's been charged with using excessive force after tasing a man who was riding an ATV, therefore causing him injury. NJ.com reports that the officer, Tyquan McIntosh of Minotola, was charged with aggravated assault of the third degree since he caused physical harm in the process of attempting to make an arrest in Chesilhurst.
The charges stem from an incident that took place in August when McIntosh was pursuing a 23-year-old man driving around public city streets on an ATV that wasn't even registered. According to NJ.com, McIntosh was, in fact, able to catch up to the man for a moment when the ATV stalled out, only to be evaded again after it started again. It was then, reportedly, that he discharged the taser. Once doing that, the vehicle flipped over and caused significant injuries to the driver who had to be rushed to Cooper University Hospital.
The changes in the state's use of deadly force policies stem from the events that unfolded over the spring and summer of 2020 regarding the deaths of both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The new rules in New Jersey prohibit using the use of excessive force (including tasers) in an effort to speed up the arrest process.
Source: NJ.com