Footage shows Pelicans star Jaxson Hayes shoving LA cop into wall before being tased
Police bodycam footage showed how NBA star Jaxson Hayes shoved a police officer into a wall before he was tasered during a struggle outside his girlfriend's home.
A Los Angeles police officer is also said to have briefly pressed a knee to the neck of the Pelicans star during the confrontation, prompting him to cry out, "I can't breathe." Authorities responded to the Woodland Hills neighborhood on July 28 at about 3 am after Hayes' girlfriend's cousin reportedly called 911 and said she was texting her saying Hayes had become loud and violent and that she was scared.
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Hayes, who was not armed during the confrontation, was seen in bodycam footage becoming argumentative after officers told him he couldn't go back home. He reportedly ignored calls from his girlfriend and cousin to stop talking and struggling with the officers as they tried to calm him down. Two officers subsequently blocked Hayes as he approached the front door, with one of them pushing the athlete while his cousin held him back.
As the situation rapidly escalates, the police separated the men and grabbed Hayes' arms. His cousin yelled, "Jaxson, stop!" as he continued to fight the officers, eventually shoving one of them into a wall near the front door. The other cop subsequently pulled out a taser and warned him repeatedly, "Stop resisting or I'm gonna tase you!" as Hayes struggled on the ground.
The officer is then seen alternating pressing a hand and knee to Hayes's neck, before his girlfriend comes out of the home and yells, "Stop! Stop! What are you doing?" It is at this point that Hayes gasps and says, "I can't breathe." The NBA star did not yield to the officers, prompting one of them to fire the taser, pressing it close to his chest for several seconds as the others cried for them to stop. Hayes screamed and flipped over when the officer fired the taser a second time and pressed it to the back of his legs, telling him to "stop resisting." The officer threatens Hayes to use the taser on him once again as he insists he's not resisting. Cops eventually handcuffed him and forced him to sit on a chair.
The 21-year-old basketball sensation was booked into jail on charges of resisting arrest after being evaluated at a hospital for minor injuries. His attorney Mark Baute said in a statement later that "Jaxson Hayes is a nice young man, and he is back home in Ohio working out and getting ready for the upcoming season."
Police previously said in a statement that the LAPD's Force Investigation Division was looking into the case due to the possibility of force being applied to Hayes' neck. Authorities have presented the case to prosecutors, who are yet to decide whether to formalize charges. Hayes' girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous, has reportedly declined to cooperate in the investigation.