A Mississippi cop was fired Wednesday for yanking a young man out of his car, slamming his face into the ground and pointing a gun at the back of his head before handcuffing and punching him.
Jackson police officer Vincent Lampkin also ripped a cell phone out the man’s hands and tossed it in the grass when the man asked to call his father.
Lampkin then proceeded to search the man’s car, finding nothing illegal, before removing the handcuffs and allowing the 19-year-old man to go, telling him, “I guess I’ll let you go.”
John Knight said Lampkin never told him why he had pulled him over in the first place.
The incident took place May 14 and came to light the following day with a Facebook post by Knight’s friend, Marquise S. Hunt.
“He was snatched out of his car by his neck and slammed face first to the ground as the officer pulled out his gun and pointed it at the back of his head. The officer handcuffed him, punched him in the face, and dragged him out of the street and to the curb. When John asked to call his dad, the officer snatched his phone and threw it and began to search his car,” Hunt wrote.
An internal investigation was then opened on Lampkin where he was placed on administrative leave.
Knight along with his family and attorney Dennis Sweet III filed notice of claim, which is the beginning process of filing a lawsuit against the city, two days after the incident. Sweet states that his family is not looking for a lawsuit but is wanting an explanation.
In a statement to WAPT, Interim Chief Anthony Moore said,
“I WANT EVERYBODY TO BE ASSURED THAT THE JACKSON POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT CONDONE ILLEGAL OR ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR. IF IT IS FOUND THAT THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE TRUE, THEN DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS WILL FOLLOW.”
A week before the incident Knight was signed to play basketball for Utah State.