Earlier this week, we detailed the story of 23-year-old truck driver Jadarrius Rose, who, in July, suffered an act of police brutality in Circleville, Ohio. It was so blatant that even another cop at the scene essentially looked at the offending officer like; “Dude, what is you doin’?” Now there’s an update.
Source: Armando Oliveira / Getty
As previously reported, an Ohio State Trooper unleashed his K9 dog on Rose, who was unarmed and in the midst of surrendering with his hands clearly in the air at the time. Rose had been stopped by a Motor Carrier Enforcement inspector with the Ohio State Highway Patrol because his truck “was missing a left rear mud flap,” and he, apparently, had refused to pull over, resulting in a brief car chase.
Well, it turns out Rose wasn’t running from the cops because he did anything wrong. He refused to stop because he was afraid of the police, who, as usual, were giving him plenty of reason to fear them. In fact, according to CNN, audio 911 dispatch recordings indicate that Rose did initially pull over for the officers involved, but that resulted in a bunch of armed cops responding like they were reenacting SEAL Team Six pulling up on Osama bin Laden.
According to the recordings released by the Ross County Sheriff’s Office to CNN, Rose repeatedly told the dispatcher he was confused about why he was being pulled over and why police had their guns drawn after he briefly stopped the truck before driving away.
“I parked the truck and I was about to comply with them, but they all had they guns drawn out for whatever reason,” Rose said, per the recordings.
The dispatcher told Rose multiple times he needed to stop and comply with police, saying, “You need to pull over. You’re going to get yourself in more trouble than you’re already in.”
“I don’t know why they’re trying to kill me,” a frightened Rose said.
“They’re not trying to kill you,” the dispatcher said.
“Yes they are,” Rose responded, adding, “I do not feel safe with stopping.”
And what happened after Rose pulled over after being told by a 911 dispatcher that he’d be fine if he just complies with police orders? A COP RELEASED HIS DOG ON HIM WHILE HE HAD HIS HANDS IN THE AIR!!!
I’m just going to go ahead and suggest that it’s not a 911 dispatcher’s job to gaslight a Black man who is afraid to pull over for police, especially when, as it turns out, his instincts were absolutely on point. (Much like the multiple guns cops were holding on Rose as if they hadn’t pulled him over for a petty, barely even noticeable, traffic violation. To sit there and tell Rose, “You need to pull over” or “You’re going to get yourself in more trouble than you’re already in,” this person had decided without being anywhere near the scene that the cops were in the right and the 911 caller was likely a criminal whose fear was unjustified. (Much like the shooting would have been if the canine-trigger-happy cop would have taken his casual police brutality practices any further.)
What’s worse, is that it appears that Rose has been charged with a felony just for being afraid of cops, one of whom explicitly proved the legitimacy of his fear while the cop in question’s fate has still not been determined.
The officer who released the K-9 on Rose has since been identified as Officer Ryan Speakman and in the latest update, Speakman has been fired.
“Circleville Police Officer Ryan Speakman’s actions during the review of his canine apprehension of suspect Jadarrius Rose on July 4 show that Officer Speakman did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers,” reads a press release provided to 10TV.
The incident is now set to be evaluated by a use of force review board, whose findings are expected to be released the week of July 31, McIlroy and Police Chief G. Shawn Baer said in a joint statement to CNN.
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