Alleah Taylor assault: Chad Wheeler resisted arrest as cops struggled to subdue NFL star, shows bodycam video
Police bodycam footage from the arrest of former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Chad Wheeler show the desperate struggle to subdue the NFL lineman, who at one point asked the officers to not shoot him after he nearly killed his girlfriend in a violent episode on January 22, said a report.
Wheeler was arrested after his girlfriend Alleah Taylor accused him of twice choking her into unconsciousness while he was experiencing what both called a "manic episode." According to a police report and charging documents, Taylor said that when she regained consciousness for the second time, Wheeler verbally expressed his surprise that she was still alive. When asked by police whether she thought she was going to die, she responded, "I thought I already had."
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As per the police report, when cops forced entry into the apartment shared by Wheeler and Taylor, she was crying in pain, with her face covered in blood and her left arm swollen and limp against her body. She also had noticeable fingerprints on both sides of her neck, according to the report.
Earlier this month, Wheeler pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful imprisonment, and resisting arrest. He entered the plea during an arraignment at King County's Maleng Regional Justice Center. He was ordered to remain in Washington on electronic home detention with a GPS-equipped ankle monitoring device as a condition of his pretrial release. Wheeler is due back in court for a hearing on March 18. A trial has been set for June 1.
What happened in the video?
As per TMZ, the video starts with the police kicking down the door to the home in Kent, Washington, where Wheeler was living with then-girlfriend Taylor, who had called 911 claiming Wheeler had beaten and strangled her.
For the first time, the woman who says she was attacked by former Seattle Seahawks player Chad Wheeler is speaking out.
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 10, 2021
Wheeler pleaded not guilty to 3 charges, including domestic violence assault.
Alleah Taylor spoke exclusively with @JerickaDuncan for @CBSThisMorning. pic.twitter.com/HMQAh3Md6o
Once cops enter the home, the video goes dark. As per TMZ, police have redacted the in-home footage for various legal reasons but the audio can still be heard. "Put your f***ing hands behind your back," one officer shouted. "If you don't comply, you're going to get hurt."
As per TMZ, while Wheeler sounded calm at first, the cops insisted he was resisting arrest and repeatedly ordered him to stop fighting back. At one point, Wheeler told the cops, "Please don't shoot me," even as cops continued to accuse Wheeler of resisting arrest. Even a taser can be heard in the video at one point.
Wheeler can then be heard yelling at his girlfriend: "Alleah, please … Alleah … please I love you … Please stop … I love you … Alleah." Following that, cops could be heard saying, "You're gonna get f***in' tased if you don't knock this s*** off right f***ing now, you understand me? You're gonna get the f*** knocked out of you, so knock it the f*** off." Wheeler responded to this with, "Please, I'm sorry, I'll do whatever you guys want." To this one of the officers replied, "Then stop f**king fighting!" After this, the cops were able to place Wheeler in handcuffs.