Body cam footage released after arrest; 4 officers fired
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Body camera footage from a December arrest that led to the firing of four Helena-West Helena police officers has now been released.
It started on December 19, 2023, when Tyler Orr was accused of assaulting his mother and taking her car without permission.
The scene seems to unfold in the parking lot of a convenience store according to the footage provided by the police department from two officer’s body cameras. The footage was a combined 24 minutes long.
In the first video, an officer arrives, gun drawn as other officers are already on the scene shouting commands.
Four Helena-West Helena police officers fired, chief says
“Get him out. Exit the vehicle. Do it now. Get out of the car, put your hands up,” officers shout.
A woman on the scene asks what happened.
The camera falls, what happens while the camera is down is unclear. But from there, there’s a continuous struggle between Orr and the officers to get him in a squad car.
In the other officer’s video, Orr can be heard saying the officers are hurting him.
“Stop. You’re hurting me. You’re hurting me,” Orr shouts. He then tells officers that he’s not resisting.
“What the F*** is y’all doing?” Orr asks.
“Same f****** thing you did to your mama,” the officer said.
At one point an officer appears to be repeatedly hitting Orr before they decide to spray him with a chemical agent.
Man arrested by fired Helena-West Helena officers released from jail
After being sprayed Orr is then arrested. The video also shows one officer going into the convenience store to get him water.
“Hey, can I buy a bottle of water? We sprayed that fella out there,” the officer said.
He took the water and paper towels and apologized to the clerk.
WREG tried to talk to the police chief but he said he couldn’t speak about the video because of the ongoing investigation.
Orr’s attorney says an excessive force lawsuit has been filed.
The Police Chief has previously said the four officers, three men and one woman, were terminated for failing to follow police policies.
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