Battle of high school bands ends with police tasing band director, Alabama cops say
Excitement following an Alabama high school football team’s victory was short-lived when the school’s band director was tased by officers, local police said.
Police were in the process of clearing out Jackson-Olin High School’s football stadium in Birmingham following the Sept. 14 win for Minor High School, which is in the Birmingham suburb Adamsville, according to a Birmingham Police Department news release. Then, officers noticed both Jackson-Olin’s and Minor High School’s bands were still performing their music, police said.
During the game, both schools’ bands were battling it out musically that night, a photojournalist told WBRC 6.
Police officers spoke with both band directors and instructed them to end their performances, police said in the release. Only Jackson-Olin’s band director stopped its band students from playing music further, police said. Minor High’s band director, Johnny Mims instructed his band to keep performing, according to police and local news outlets.
“Minor’s band director did not comply with multiple officers’ requests to stop his band from performing,” police said in the release.
Officers said they attempted to arrest Mims for disorderly conduct, but a “physical altercation ensued” between Mims, police and Birmingham City Schools security, police said.
The officers said that when they tried to place Mims’ hands behind his back, he pushed the arresting officer. The arresting officer then used a Taser on Mims, which “ended the physical confrontation,” police said.
Another witness told WBRC 6 they thought mace was also used at some point in the arrest, but it was not aimed at children.
A video circulating online appears to show Mims being tased by a police officer while being restrained by another man. The video starts with a man having a heated exchange with several officers and security personnel who are circled around him.
He appears to momentarily break out of the grip of someone holding him, video shows, and then is pulled back in the middle of the crowd.
He then stands in the middle while someone holds onto the back of his shirt and continues saying something to officers, according to the video.
Then, an officer deploys his Taser and the man falls to the ground in the video. He attempts to get up in the video, but he is further restrained by more officers.
Following his arrest, Mims was treated by Birmingham Fire and Rescue staff and was taken to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, which police said is “standard BPD protocol after this type of incident.” He was then sent to the Birmingham City Jail, where he was later bonded out Saturday, Sept. 16, according to the Trussville Tribune’s report.
Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin said in a statement to multiple news local outlets that the schools system was aware of the situation.
“I am in the process of gathering all the facts and feel it would be inappropriate to comment further until that process is complete. I urge everyone not to jump to conclusions,” Gonsoulin said in the statement, according to WIAT.
While some people defended the release’s description of the officers’ actions — which was posted to their Facebook page — others responded angrily to police’s choice to arrest and tase Mims. One person called it an “embarrassment.”
“That is so disheartening. They should deal with the police actions and train them to handle situations differently. I’m so saddened,” another commentor wrote.
The incident at Jackson-Olin High is now under investigation by the police department’s Internal Affairs Division because an officer used force in an arrest, according to the release.
Dad calls 911 after car with infant inside vanishes during drug deal, Alabama cops say
High school marching band student dies after collapsing at football game, reports say
‘Can’t tase me now’: Man in underwear tries to drown deputy in pond, Ohio cops say
