Roderick Walker, the man seen beaten on viral video by Clayton County sheriff’s deputies, spoke to the media Friday for the first time after posting bond in Fulton County.

Roderick Walker attends a press conference on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 in Atlanta.

Roderick Walker attends a press conference on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 in Atlanta.

Credit: Screengrab from 11 Alive/WXIA-TV

“I was scared. I feared for my life,” Walker said. “And I just pray and just hope that it don’t happen to nobody else. I lost consciousness, I couldn’t breathe.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill has since fired Deputy Brandon Myers for use of physical force.

In a police report released to several news outlets, Deputy D. Riddick said authorities made a traffic stop last Friday due to a broken taillight. Riddick said Walker wasn’t wearing a seat belt and that’s when they asked him for identification. Walker, a passenger in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, refused to identify himself, according to the report. Authorities asked the 26-year-old to step out of the SUV to arrest him, but they said he attempted to run away. During the arrest attempt, authorities said they used a stun gun — which brought Walker to the ground.

In the police report, deputies said Walker bit and attacked them.

“Walker continued to fight and resist arrest by kicking, elbowing, head-butting and biting,” Riddick wrote. “Deputy Myers was bit on his inner thighs multiple times.”

There is no body camera body footage of the incident, but witnesses captured cellphone video of the incident where Myers was seen hitting Walker.

WARNING: Viewers may find video disturbing.

Attorney Shean Willams represents Walker and said his client suffered neurological injuries and blurred vision, as well as dizziness and mild traumatic brain injury.

“He was literally fighting for his life,” Williams said. “That’s what you saw in that video. He wasn’t attacking [the deputies] or beating them. He’s trying to survive.”

Walker was transferred from Clayton County Jail to Fulton County Jail on Tuesday due to a violation of probation for a 2016 run-in with the law. Those charges in Fulton County include first-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Williams said Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard worked with Walker to resolve the probation violations in Atlanta, but he still faces battery and felony obstruction charges stemming from the Clayton arrest. 

Attorneys for Walker want criminal charges filed against the deputies involved. Myers had worked at the Clayton County’s Sheriff’s Office since November 2019 and had five use of force complaints against him in less than a year, according to Williams.

“We now believe he should’ve been terminated before,” Williams said. “He’s terminated because the world saw what he did.”

The Clayton County District Attorney’s office is investigating the case.

Tags: Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  Georgia  Clayton County  Fulton County  police brutality