Kansas City, Kansas, man wants cop who knelt on his neck in Walmart arrest to be fired

A Kansas City, Kansas, man whose arrest at Walmart sparked social media outrage says the police officer who knelt on his neck should lose his badge.

Dayton Borisouth, 24, told The Star on Thursday that he was “irritated” by the official response from Kansas City, Kansas police this week as the department acknowledged one officer used techniques not approved by KCKPD.

“I don’t think that he should even be a cop, doing what he did,” Borisouth said, adding: “I did not think I was ever gonna see my baby boy when that happened. I thought I was about to die. Because he put a lot of pressure on my neck.”

On June 1, Borisouth visited the Walmart Supercenter at 10824 Parallel Parkway, in the Legends Outlets mall, to help his uncle jump-start his truck. It took longer than expected, Borisouth said, so he went inside to buy dinner for his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter.

After going through the self-checkout, Borisouth says he saw a “mean” look on the face of an off-duty KCKPD officer working retail security at the Walmart. The officer asked if he had his receipt, Borisouth replied “yes,” and then walked away.

At the sliding-glass doors, Borisouth said he saw the reflection of the officer coming toward him “very rapidly.” Borisouth said he told the officer he did not have a right to detain him and kept walking toward the exit.

That’s when Borisouth says the officer pushed him up into a corner and accused him of stealing the DiGiorno pizza. Borisouth said he told the officer the receipt was in his pocket when the handcuffs came out.

Backup was called as Borisouth wound up on the ground with the off-duty officer pressing Borisouth’s head against the floor. Bystanders, including Borisouth’s uncle, recorded video as two other officers arrived.

One of those responding officers is heard on video threatening to break Borisouth’s nose. A short time later, the same officer is seen putting his knee on Borisouth’s neck as Borisouth screams. The technique has been under increased scrutiny since the May 2020 death of George Floyd, who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for about eight minutes.

Borisouth, after being placed in handcuffs, was taken to a squad car. He declined a trip to the hospital — he told The Star he couldn’t afford the cost of an ambulance ride — and was handed a ticket for interfering with an investigation.

In a statement Monday, KCKPD said an internal review was conducted. The department said two officers were “disciplined consistent with policy” and that both would receive additional training.

The department added that, while Borisouth disobeyed the off-duty officer working retail, that officer should have “disengaged at that time due to the circumstances.”

The interference charge brought against Borisouth was dropped at the request of the police department.

Two days after the debacle, Borisouth says he went to the emergency room for an evaluation. He said he cannot lift the same amount of weight with his right arm — especially a problem because he works in home remodeling and as a personal trainer.

Borisouth said he lodged an official complaint with the department. He said he has also hired a lawyer.

He’s also decided to stop shopping at Walmart.

“Every time I go into Price Chopper for a frozen pizza I think about that,” Borisouth said. “And I make sure to grab my receipt.”

The Star’s Katie Moore contributed to this report.