Oakland Police Arrested Brandon Calloway, Brandon Calloway and some of his family members spoke with an Associated Press reporter outside a courthouse in Fayette County, where he was due to appear before a judge regarding charges filed against him in July. The hearing was rescheduled for Nov. 28.
State police in Tennessee are investigating a violent arrest for alleged traffic violations against a young Black man driving an attractive car on Monday. He claims that police stopped him because he was wearing his driver’s license on his lap and not because of any traffic violations he may have committed.
Oakland Police Arrested Brandon Calloway
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Oakland Police arrested Calloway, 26, for allegedly disobeying a stop sign, speeding, disorderly conduct and evading arrest. Video footage of the confrontation leading up to his arrest spread on social media showing officers chasing him through his home, trying to stun him with pepper spray before beating him bloody before taking him away.
One police officer has placed on paid leave while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigates his arrest. After that is completed, state police will provide a report to the district attorney who then decides whether or not to press charges against them.
A call seeking comment Monday from Oakland Police Department went unanswered.
According to a police affidavit, Calloway drove past a stop sign at approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 16. He was then recorded driving 32 mph in an 80 mph zone before an officer attempted a traffic stop.
Calloway then continued driving until reaching his home, pulling into the driveway and running inside, the document states.
A subsequent affidavit states that Calloway and others were outside speaking with the first officer when a second arrived. The officers advised Calloway they needed to detain him, so he ran back inside. Officers kicked down the front door as Calloway ran upstairs into a room where he locked it behind him.
Officers then kicked down that door again, used a stun gun on him, and began hitting him with a baton, according to the document. On March 10th, Calloway attacked in Oakland, Tennessee – a small town about 30 miles east of Memphis. Running his notary public business afterwards, Calloway claimed the beating left him with stitches in his head as well as speech problems and memory loss.
Brandon Calloway Commented | Black Man
In October, Calloway told The Associated Press he was stopped because he was a young Black man driving an attractive vehicle. He claimed that if he were white, no one would have stopped him in his 2020 Chevrolet Camaro.
Oakland police arrested Calloway and charged him with disobeying a stop sign, speeding, disorderly conduct and evading arrest.
Video footage of the confrontation leading up to his arrest, which went viral on social media, shows officers chasing him through his home, trying to stun him before beating him bloody before taking him away.
According to a police affidavit, Calloway passed through a stop sign around 7:30 p.m. on July 16. He then recorded driving 32 mph in a 20 mph zone (51 kph in a 32 kph zone) before an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Calloway continued driving until reaching home where he pulled into the driveway and ran inside, the document reads.
The affidavit states that after Calloway and others had finished speaking with the first officer, a second arrived. The officers explained they needed to detain Calloway, so he ran back inside. Officers kicked down the front door as Calloway ran into a room and locked it behind them; they then kicked down that door again, used a stun gun on him, and began beating him with a baton, according to the document.
One police officer placed on paid leave while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted its investigation. Afterwards, Davidson received a copy of the state police agency’s report which it then presented to a grand jury.
Calloway, who runs a notary public business in Oakland, Tennessee, said the assault left him with stitches in his head, speech issues and memory loss.
TBI Investigation
“It wasn’t my door that they kicked in,” he said, adding that his daughter experienced trauma when she saw “her brother’s blood all over the floor, all over the walls, throughout the house.”
Brandon Calloway said he would like to see consequences for officers involved in his arrest. As he recovers from his injuries and continues therapy, Calloway experiences intense anxiety when confronted by a police officer.
His lawyer, Andre Wharton, expressed his dissatisfaction with the TBI investigation and is seeking transparency and accountability so the Calloways can move forward after police’s “disproportionate response”.
“Closure occurs when people realize a system worked as intended – that it was open, honest and accountable,” Wharton noted.
On Wednesday, a grand jury has declined to indict police officers after an investigation by Tennessee’s state police agency into the violent arrest of a Black man for alleged traffic violations, according to a district attorney’s announcement.
On Monday, members of a grand jury in Fayette County reviewed evidence surrounding the July arrest of Brandon Calloway but ultimately decided against taking any action regarding officers’ decisions, according to Mark E. Davidson, the top prosecutor for the rural county.
