UPDATE: Thursday, Nov 17, 2022 · 6:10:12 PM +00:00
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Lauren Sue
Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins has requested a use-of-force investigation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the agency wrote in an email to Daily Kos on Wednesday. "GBI agents will conduct an independent & thorough investigation," the agency said. "Once the investigation is complete, we will provide the file to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office."
Heartbreaking security video released by a civil rights attorney shows five employees of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office piling into a Black inmate’s cell and pummeling him. The man, identified by News 4 Jax as Jarrett Hobbs, was taken to the county’s detention center in Georgia on Sept. 3 and released on Sept. 30.
Harry Daniels, Hobbs' attorney, told the news station his client was arrested for speeding, driving with a suspended/revoked license, and possession of a controlled substance. “Mr. Hobbs entered the Camden County Jail suffering a psychological episode and asking to be placed in protective confinement,” Daniels said. “But instead of protecting him, these deputies jumped him and beat and kicked him mercilessly.”
The attack was so vicious Daniels said one of Hobbs' dreadlocks was snatched from his scalp, and to make matters worse Hobbs was also charged with battery, aggravated assault, and obstruction. "So they beat him and charged him," Daniels said.
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Federal court records Georgia Public Broadcasting obtained revealed that guards went inside Hobbs' cell after he kicked the cell's door repeatedly and refused deputy demands to stop.
To state the obvious, kicking a door hardly warrants a brutal beating.
Daniels called deputies’ actions “inexcusable” and the video “undeniable.” He shared this quote in a tweet of the video:
“This wasn’t some arrest that got out of hand or a judgment call made out of fear for your life. This was targeted gang violence pure and simple. It just so happens that the gang members were wearing badges and we’re calling on the District Attorney to bring charges immediately.”
Warning: This video shows footage of violence that may be triggering for viewers.
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The Camden County Sheriff's Office said in a news release on Monday the video shows "a portion of an incident" at the county jail. Sheriff Jim Proctor has viewed the video and ordered an internal investigation. "If deemed necessary an additional agency will assist with the investigation," officials with the sheriff's office wrote in the release.
They added:
"Internal investigations involve reviewing of videos, questioning of witnesses, and documentation of evidence recovered which takes time, and not completed overnight. The Camden County Sheriff's Office has always been an agency that is transparent allowing the public access to all operations of each division. During the investigation, names of all people involved will be confidential until the conclusion of the inquiry."
Attorney Bakari Sellers, who was also retained to represent Hobbs, called the incident which sent shockwaves through social media communities "sickening."
"We will get Justice," Sellers wrote, also sharing the devastating video.
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