FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The National Action Network, headed by the Rev. Al Sharpton, is asking for the resignation of two Florence County deputies involved in a confrontation with a Marion man.
“We are not letting go. To the sheriff’s, no justice, no peace. After reviewing this horrific picture and video, the National Action Network decided we want to ask for those two officers’ resignation,” said James Johnson, state president for the group, during a press conference on Wednesday at the sheriff’s office.
“We also want attempted murder charges put on those two officers for actually almost choking Mr. Flemming to death,” Johnson said.
The press conference was held after the Florence County Sheriff’s Office released a statement regarding photos and videos showing an encounter between Tyler Flemming and a deputy.
In the release, the sheriff’s office said, Flemming “resisted officer’s attempts to properly detain him, forcing the officer to take the subject to the ground.”
“The subject continued to resist and threatened to kill the officers involved in the incident,” the release also said. “The subject was not injured but was taken into custody.”
Johnson said the group is prepared to launch a full investigation into the department. “We as National Action Network will be filing a Freedom of Information Act on this whole department, looking at their racial profiling here in Florence County and their police brutality.”
After the incident, Flemming, 34, of Marion, was charged with breach of peace, resisting arrest, and threatening the life of a public employee.
Major Mike Nunn, with the FCSO, told News13 on Tuesday that the deputy involved has not been placed on leave and he doesn’t know how long the investigation into what happened will take.
Fleming gave this account of the incident at the press conference:
Fleming said he just got off a Greyhound bus on the way to his parents, whom he hasn’t seen in 10 years.
He said, “I thought it was good to ask the officer that was on duty for directions or a ride.”
But, he said, he sensed “…a demeanor or attitude. I had a feeling that something was going to occur so I told her never mind, I’d ask somebody else.”
Flemming said he walked back to the store and another officer approached him. He gave the officer his probation papers and the officer ran his name, Flemming added. “That’s when he immediately got aggressive for no reason.”
Flemming said the officer decided to put handcuffs on him. “When I ask why he was putting handcuffs on me, he gave no answer at first. He was getting angrier and angrier and angrier for no reason, getting aggressive, pulling on me, pulling on my clothing, taking my book bag off for no reason.
“I was very confused, didn’t know what was going on. Then he decided to choke me, he decided to grab me, put me on the car, slam me, he starts throwing my belongings everywhere. He decided to slam my face on the car. And she was with him, laughing and giggling.
“I wasn’t being aggressive the whole time. I wasn’t resisting the whole time. I was very still and asking questions. He decided to choke me from behind when I was in handcuffs, he slammed me to the ground, he proceeded to still choke me. I said why are you choking me, and he said to me, ‘I’m not choking you’. He whispered things in my ear, he threatened me, he threatened my life.
“I was telling him my rights and he said, ‘forget your rights. I don’t care about your rights.’”
Flemming said the deputy continued to choke him while saying “I’m not choking you.”
“While the female cop was wiggling my arms to pretend like I was fighting, I wasn’t,” Flemming said.
Flemming said after being choked for a while, the only thing he could do was curse repeatedly to keep himself breathing.
*WARNING: This video contains language that may be offensive to some.
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FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The Florence County Sheriff’s Office released a statement after photos were posted on social media appearing to show an encounter with a man at a convenience store.
“Deputies were involved in an encounter with an individual at a convenience store located on East Palmetto Street,” according to a press release from Sheriff Kenney Boone, with the FCSO.
“According to the Incident Report, the subject approached a deputy at the convenience store acting strangely and asking for a ride to Mullins, SC. When the deputy told the subject that she was unable to honor that request, the subject was not pleased, but walked away,” states the release. “Shortly thereafter, a FCSO supervisor arrived and noticed the subject interact with a store customer, who looked at him as if he needed assistance as the subject walked back into the store. The supervisor approached the subject for a consensual encounter, at which time the subject repeated his request for a ride to Mullins, SC.”
The supervisor reportedly asked the man if he had identification and he reportedly said he didn’t, according to the release. “When the supervisor attempted to run his information through Central Dispatch, the subject became disorderly and began cursing loudly. The subject ignored repeated requests to calm down.”
“While being detained for further questioning,” the man allegedly refused to “follow reasonable verbal instructions and resisted officer’s attempts to properly detain him, forcing the officer to take the subject to the ground.”
“The subject continued to resist and threatened to kill the officers involved in the incident,” the release also said. “The subject was not injured but was taken into custody.”
Tyler Flemming, 34, of Marion, is charged with breach of peace, resisting arrest, and threatening the life of a public employee. He is being held at the Florence County Detention Center pending a $3,872 surety bond.
The statement also addresses photos circulating on social media, saying, in part:
Certain photographs of this encounter taken by citizens have been circulated on social media. While the photographs we have seen so far are selective and limited in nature, they are concerning to us. Public confidence that we discharge our law enforcement duties in a fair and impartial manner is essential to our mission, and we are investigating to determine what happened in this case. Once the investigation is concluded, we will report our findings. While that investigation is going on however, we ask that the public reserve judgement until all of the facts are known.
Major Mike Nunn, with the FCSO, told News13 on Tuesday that the deputy involved has not been placed on leave and he doesn’t know how long the investigation into what happened will take.
Nunn also said investigators are trying to talk to witnesses, but many of them are not cooperating.
Count on News13 on-air, online, and on social media for updates.
