LAPD Releases Video Of Arrest Of NBA Player Jaxson Hayes In Woodland Hills
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles police released a video Friday of the arrest of New Orleans Pelicans player Jaxson Hayes at a home in Woodland Hills.
Earlier this month, police launched a categorical use of force investigation into the arrest. The incident was purportedly captured on police bodycam video that hadn't been released until Friday.
On Tuesday, Aug. 3, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said that the Hayes case involves "the possibility of force being applied to the suspect's neck during the use of force in taking him into custody."
Categorical use of force investigations often concern incidents of deadly force by officers. The use of force was initially investigated as non-categorical, which is a lower level use of force, but investigators discovered that Hayes made a complaint that "he could not breathe, that there was a constraint or restriction on his neck," Moore said.
TMZ also obtained cell phone video of the arrest. The video shows Hayes on the ground struggling with three officers on the front porch of the home.
"Jaxson Hayes's racist and physical attack on a Los Angeles police officer responding to a domestic abuse call is repugnant," Los Angeles Police Protective League President Craig Lally said following the release of the video.
"Hayes must be held accountable for his N-word laced verbal tirade as well his assault on the officer as he was attempting to ensure the safety of any potential victim related to a domestic dispute call. The NBA must act swiftly to send an unmistakable message that domestic abuse investigations must not be thwarted, officers must not be assaulted, and the use of the N-word is unacceptable," Lally said.
The 21-year-old Hayes was arrested on July 28 at about 2:50 a.m. when officers responded to a domestic dispute call at a home in the 22000 block of Mariano Street.
Officers arrived on scene to find Hayes in the front yard of the home. According to police, officers told Hayes that he needed to remain outside while they entered the home and spoke with the alleged victim.
According to police, Hayes ignored their commands and repeatedly tried to enter the home, resulting in a physical altercation.
At one point, he broke free and pushed an officer into the wall, police said. The officers eventually used a taser on him twice before they were able to get him into handcuffs.
He was booked into the Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of resisting arrest.
One officer was treated at a hospital for injuries. A woman at the scene "declined to cooperate" with officers regarding the original domestic dispute call, police said.
Hayes, a Texas native, was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has spent his entire professional career with the Pelicans.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
