Ohio police have released video of a black man who died at a local hospital after repeatedly telling officers “I can’t breathe” as they pinned him to the floor of a bar and handcuffed him, evoking memories of the death of George Floyd in 2020. .
In body camera video released Thursday by the Canton Police Department, officers are seen detaining the man, identified as 53-year-old Frank Tyson, suspected of leaving the scene of a car accident on May 18. April.
The 36-minute video begins with a patrol officer encountering a car that has crashed into an electrical pole and a passerby telling him that the driver of the vehicle had fled to a nearby bar.
The agents are then seen entering the establishment, where they find Tyson at the counter. An altercation ensued when they tried to grab his arms, and he repeatedly shouted “They’re trying to kill me” and “Call the sheriff.”
The police placed Tyson on the ground and handcuffed him. One of them is seen putting a knee on his back, close to his neck, for about 30 seconds.
Tyson can be heard saying repeatedly: “I can’t breathe. I can’t… let go of my neck”, while an officer shouts “Calm down” and “You’re okay” before getting up.
The video then shows Tyson motionless, lying face down on the floor, for about six minutes, while officers speak to bar customers.
The agents then check Tyson, who appears to be unresponsive. You hear him say, “Is he breathing?” and “Do you have a pulse?”
Eight minutes after the agents handcuffed Tyson, they removed the handcuffs and began to revive him. Paramedics then arrive at the scene and take Tyson out of the bar on a stretcher and into an ambulance, as shown in the video.
Tyson died at a local hospital, according to WKYC, an NBC affiliate in Cleveland. The official cause of death has not yet been determined.
The incident brings to mind George Floyd’s deadly encounter with Minneapolis police four years ago. A cellphone video of Floyd’s death that went viral sparked a wave of protests around the world against police brutality and racism.
The video shows a white officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, while Floyd, who was black, begs for his life, repeating “I can’t breathe” before falling silent.
Chauvin and three of his fellow police officers were eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter and other crimes.
The Canton Police Department officers involved in the Tyson incident were identified as Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch, WKYC reported.
Both have been placed on administrative leave and the Ohio Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident, the station reported.
