Black man beaten during Georgia traffic stop to be released
ATLANTA (AP) — A Black man captured on video being repeatedly punched by a white Georgia sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop will be released from jail after being granted a signature bond by a judge.
Roderick Walker, 26, is expected to be released Thursday from the Atlanta area's Fulton County Jail and will be required to wear an ankle monitor, county sheriff’s spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.
Walker was beaten and arrested after sheriff’s deputies in nearby Clayton County, suspecting a broken taillight, pulled over a vehicle Walker was riding in last Friday, his attorney Shean Williams said previously.
Walker wasn’t driving and was with his girlfriend, their 5-month-old child and his stepson at the time. Williams said deputies requested Walker’s identification and got upset and demanded he get out of the vehicle when he questioned why they needed to see his ID — even though he was just a passenger.
A photo of Walker taken later in jail showed a large welt around his left eye. Walker was being held on an outstanding felony probation warrant.
The sheriff’s deputy seen punching Walker was fired for “excessive use of force” after the video was shared widely. The deputy was identified by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office on Thursday as Brandon Myers, news outlets report.
A phone message left with Williams at The Cochran Firm in Atlanta on Thursday was not immediately returned.
