Fairfax County Officer Charged After Using Taser On Civilian

MOUNT VERNON, VA — A Fairfax County police officer is facing charges for an alleged assault of black civilian caught on body-worn camera video Friday.

The incident happened on Fordson Road in Hybla Valley. Police responded to a call around 1:30 p.m. Friday for a man in crisis walking in the roadway. The body-worn camera video from the first officer on the scene shows that officer and fire department personnel talking with the man. The man appeared to ask for detox treatment, and the personnel tried to talk him into entering an ambulance. The man continued to walk in the roadway but did not appear to show aggressive behavior.

The video showed another officer arrives and use a Taser on the man. The officer is shown with his knees on the man's back and tasing the man on his neck. Officers and fire department personnel worked to restrain the man.

Police Chief Ed Roessler Jr. said the man who was tased went to the hospital, was released and is at home resting.

After the incident, Roessler called for criminal and administrative investigations. The officer who used the Taser was identified as Tyler Timberlake, an eight-year veteran of the department assigned to the Mount Vernon District police station. He was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery.

Timberlake and other involved officers were relieved of their law enforcement duties and placed on administrative leave pending outcomes of the investigations.

"If an alleged violation is determined to be credible and sustained, that employee will be held accountable through appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination," reads a statement from the police department.

Steve Descano, commonwealth's attorney for Fairfax County, said Timberlake could face up to 36 months of incarceration.

The police chief said at a Saturday news conference the video shows actions that violate the department's use of force policies and ignore the sanctity of life. He said the first officer who arrived, paramedics and firefighters were doing the right thing by trying to deescalate the situation and get him into the ambulance.

"They were working with this gentleman to get him help to the ambulance. That was very clear, said Roessler. "And for unknown reasons right now, we have to wait for a criminal investigation and then my administrative investigation to understand what was in the mind of this officer to do what he did. And that was deploy that electronic control weapon and then escalate further."

Fairfax County Police rolled out the first phase of its body-worn camera program on May 1 after a pilot program at the Mount Vernon, Reston and Mason district stations. As part of funding approved by the Board of Supervisors for the first phase, 416 cameras were put in place at the three stations.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck released a statement Monday in response to the body-worn camera video.

"Excessive violence, regardless of the source, has no place in our community," he wrote. "I continue to believe that we have the highest quality police leadership and officers, who are highly trained in de-escalation and diversion first. They understand their commitment to our communities and believe strongly in transparency. However, as seen in this video, an individual officer has violated these standards. In times like this, our actions must be as clear as our words and individuals held accountable. You have my commitment to continue working with you, the police chief and my colleagues to make sure our neighborhoods are safe for each person in our diverse community."

Storck, Roessler and others will join Woodlawn Faith UMC and faith leaders for a peaceful march at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The march starts and ends at Sherwood Regional Library. Residents should expect increased traffic after 3 p.m. and potential road closures.