‘Putting a target on the back of every officer’: LA police union slams decision not to charge NBA star after alleged attack on cop
A sizeable LAPD police union is going after the Los Angeles District Attorney after it was decided that NBA star Jaxson Hayes would not be charged with a felony after allegedly attacking an officer during his arrest in July.
The New Orleans Pelicans center was booked for a felony charge of battery on a law enforcement officer and then hospitalized to treat his minor injuries after reportedly being involved in a violent confrontation.
Local police were first called out to a domestic disturbance in the Los Angeles area, after Hayes’ girlfriend supposedly said she was scared he was about to physically harm her.
Once they attempted to gain access to the address, Hayes allegedly got physical for real, which caused a brawl to break out.
So serious was the dust-up that police put out a call detailing how an “officer needs help,” as detailed by US outlet TMZ.
Jaxson Hayes was arrested last night after an alleged altercation with police, per @TMZ.
The imposing 6’ft 11in, 220lbs baller was reportedly released after paying bail set at $25,000.
Yet despite there being video evidence that he pushed an officer in body camera footage, the DA – George Gascon – won’t charge Hayes with a felony which has caused outrage among the Los Angeles Police Protective League that represents over 9,000 cops in the Los Angeles area.
“George Gascon’s latest criminals first airball puts a target on the back of every police officer in Los Angeles,” the LAPPL told TMZ.
“Gascon’s refusal to prosecute Jaxson Hayes for violently attacking and injuring an officer during his n-word laced tirade is nothing more than a declaration that it’s open season to attack cops and it’s shameful,” it continued.
Like the correspondence implies, Gascon is a divisive figure who has been accused of taking a soft stance on crime by his critics and failing to offer protection to law enforcement officers.
But Hayes isn’t out of the woods just because Gascon has decided to back off on him, as the city attorney in LA could still try to convict him on misdemeanor charges.
As said, the 21-year-old appears to push the officer in the LAPD’s clip, but what happened next is a point of controversy.
Cops got Hayes to the ground, but as a struggle continued, one used his taser at least once with Hayes saying he wasn’t able to breathe at one point during the arrest.
The LAPD have launched an ongoing investigation to determine whether excessive force was used or not, while the LAPPL have blasted the NBA for failing to discipline their man.
“As for the NBA, their silence is deafening when it comes to one of their players assaulting an officer and thwarting a domestic violence investigation,” the union said.
“Apparently, their policy on preventing domestic violence was created more for SportsCenter than it is to actually hold its players accountable. Real classy.”
