The video of an altercation between Coweta County sheriff’s deputies and a man in a car on I-85 shows the deputies using a Taser on the man repeatedly, even after he said, “I quit, I quit.” Chase Sherman, 32, died after as many as 15 Taser hits during the November incident.
Sherman’s parents, who witnessed their son’s death, said Friday they will seek federal charges against the deputies if the state does not pursue charges of its own.
The Coweta County district attorney released a statement acknolwedging that the deputies used Tasers multiple times to subdue Sherman but said the Taser strikes “did not seem to have an effect.”
Sherman, who lived in Destin, was driving home with his parents and fiancée from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when, according to his mother, he began hallucinating and tried to jump out of the back seat of the car. Mary Ann Sherman said she told the 911 operator her son was having a “mental breakdown” and needed assistance.
According to a statement from Coweta District Attorney Pete Skandalakis, Sherman was “physically combative and would not cooperate in getting out of the back seat.” The car was parked up against the median wall on I-85 in Newnan.
Much of what happened next is captured on one of the deputies’ body cameras. At first Sherman is trying to grab the Taser away from the officers but is eventually handcuffed. The video shows that the deputies continue to "tase" him as he struggles before an EMT forces him to the floorboard.
The statement continues, “The deputies responded with the use of Tasers in order to force Mr. Sherman to comply with their commands. Multiple attempts were made to subdue Sherman but the Tasers did not seem to have an effect.”
According to his death certificate, Sherman’s torso was compressed “by the body weight of another individual” following “several trigger pulls of an electronic control device.”
What caused his erratic behavior is unclear, though his mother said he had told them he had used Spice, or synthetic marijuana, a few days earlier.
Chris Stewart, the attorney for Sherman’s parents, described what happened in the back seat as a “four-minute torture session.”
“These dirty dogs didn’t know when to quit,” said Kevin Sherman, Chase’s father.
A comprehensive report will be posted later today on myajc.com.
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