White Alabama councilman caught on camera punching Black mayor

Alabama Councilman ​​Tommy Bryant has had a busy week. Since Monday (Nov. 7) night, he’s been arrested twice. During the first incident, Bryant was taken into custody for punching Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton. The incident was caught on a security camera as several locals were in the City Hall parking lot following a meeting.

According to Alabama news site AL.com, Bryant and Newton “have been at odds since Wayman was elected as the city’s first Black mayor.” Sources say the meeting at City Hall was heated with the councilman asking the mayor to resign. The outlet added that after a “long and turbulent council meeting,” Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major walked Bryant to the parking lot. With tensions high, the mayor reportedly approached the pair near a parked pick-up truck.

Police Chief Major claimed that after a brief interaction, the Alabama mayor made a disparaging comment about Bryant’s wife. The councilman allegedly asked if he could borrow some spare change before Newton responded, “I prefer your wife. She is cleaned out and I won’t have to worry.’’ This prompted Bryant to strike Newton, briefly knocking him to the ground. Major intervened and placed the councilman in handcuffs on site. Bryant was taken to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Jail and charged with harassment.

In a recent article from the New York Post, the outlet claimed Bryant once referred to a fellow Alabama councilman as a “house n**ger.” Yesterday (Nov. 10), Bryant found himself back in jail on slightly unrelated charges. During Monday’s altercation, the councilman’s vehicle was left in the parking lot and eventually towed. According to authorities, “He picked up his vehicle from a towing company and refused to pay for it.” In Thursday’s arrest, the tow truck company pressed charges against Bryant. He was booked for theft of services.