JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer effectively pistol-whipped a man with his Taser following a car chase, according to a warrant for his arrest obtained by First Coast News.
According to the document, police body camera video shows Matthew Alimurung reaching over officers as they removed the man from his vehicle, "strik[ing] the victim on the head area numerous times."
The video also showed Alimurung "swing his [Taser] in a punching manner at the victim several more times as other officers attempted to get the victim into custody," the warrant says.
Once the man was in custody, the report says, Alimurung "walked up to his location and spit in the direction of where the victim was lying."
Though not captured on body cam, officers at the scene told investigators Alimurung also pointed his Taser at the face of man being arrested and deployed the weapon. The report does not indicate if the weapon made contact.
The victim, an unnamed 26-year-old Black man, was taken to a hospital for head injuries before being taken to jail.
Alimurung was arrested in Nov. 13 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and resigned the same day. He faces charges of aggravated battery and falsifying records. According to Undersheriff Pat Ivey, the version of events he originally reported on his vehicular pursuit form "is directly contradicted" by body cam footage. He has not yet entered a plea.
The car chase occurred in March, but at a press briefing last month, Undersheriff Ivey said the Alimurung investigation was "tolled," or paused, while the criminal charges against the driver were handled.
"His conduct was identified, but because of the person that was being arrested had some criminal charges, we don't like to mix administrative issues with our officers and potential criminal charges," Ivey said. "Because we wanted to take that opportunity to interview the individual that was being arrested for the vehicle pursuit. We waited, we call it 'tolling' a case, we wait some time."
Announcing the arrest last month, Undersheriff Ivey said Alimrung's behavior was an anomaly.
"There were multiple people, which eventually you will see when the body camera video footage comes out, you will see multiple officers engaged in this situation -- this exact one. And only one guy is being arrested for his behavior. So 90% are getting it right in this incident, one guy's not."
JSO and the State Attorney’s Office denied our request for the body camera video, citing an active investigation.