NBA player Jaxson Hayes charged over domestic incident that saw police choke and Taser him
Athlete told police ‘I can’t breathe’ during 2021 arrest at home in Los Angeles suburb
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NBA player Jaxson Hayes has been charged over a domestic incident in which Los Angeles police choked and Tasered him.
Officers were called to the California home of the New Orleans Pelicans player in July after his girlfriend’s cousin called 911 and said he was being “loud and violent”, according to prosecutors.
When officers arrived at the home in the Woodland Hills suburb, Mr Hayes and the woman who called told them that the situation had been resolved.
Mr Hayes, 21, was told by the officer to wait outside the home while they went inside to interview his girlfriend, but he allegedly demanded to see a search warrant and asked why he could not go in with them.
The situation escalated with officers telling the 6ft 11 athlete that he was going to be detained, and two officers tried to restrain him.
Prosecutors say that Mr Hayes then allegedly pushed one of the officers into a wall, causing them to sustain an elbow injury.
He was then taken to the ground with one officer kneeling on his neck as Mr Hayes shouted, “I can’t breathe.”
Another officer then shot him in the chest with his Taser gun, video of the incident shows.
Critics have said that both manoeuvres were against LAPD policy, which forbids officers from blocking a person’s airway as they try and subdue them.
LAPD policy also discourages shooting a person in the chest with a Taser, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Now the Los Angeles city’s attorney’s office has charged Mr Hayes with with five counts of abusing a spouse or co-habitant, one count of resisting arrest, one count of battery against an LAPD officer, three counts of vandalism and one count of trespass.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to file felony charges against Mr Hayes last year, but has not publicly explained its decision.
Following the incident police said that the athlete’s girlfriend had refused to cooperate with the investigation, but an unidentified woman is listed as the victim of domestic violence in the charges.
Mr Hayes was due to play for the Pelicans against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Los Angeles is a popular off-season location for many professional basketball players, who can train and practise together at gyms in the city before returning to play for their teams.