Tyre Nichols posed no threat to police when he was snatched out of his car during a traffic stop that preceded a fatal beating by five Memphis officers, according to testimony Monday by a former officer who has pleaded guilty in the case, which led to national protests and sparked renewed calls for police reform. Emmitt Martin III took the stand in the federal trial of former colleagues Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The three officers have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering, CNN reports. The four men, along with fellow officer Desmond Mills Jr., were fired after the January 2023 death of Nichols. Martin and Mills have taken plea deals and are testifying against the other officers.
Martin said he saw Nichols speed up to beat a red light and then change lanes without signaling, leading Martin to follow Nichols. Haley eventually stopped Nichols’ Nissan, pulled out his gun and snatched Nichols from his vehicle without telling Nichols why he was stopped. Martin also had his gun out, and joined Haley in trying to restrain Nichols while yelling various conflicting commands. “He wasn’t a threat,” Martin said. Nichols, who was Black, managed to run away as shown in a police video. The five officers, who are also Black, caught up with Nichols and proceeded to punch him, kick him, and hit him with a police baton. Prosecutor Elizabeth Rogers told jurors that the attack was punishment because Nichols tried to run away — known as a “run tax” in police slang. Martin said that if someone runs from his team, “you get your ass beat.” Martin acknowledged that Memphis officers are not trained to punch or kick people to handcuff them and that officers must intervene if other officers use unnecessary, unreasonable force. The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
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