Jacksonville NC police tase father in front of his child during a school pickup.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A disturbing video on Youtube out of Jacksonville, North Carolina is gaining major attention online after a father was tased and taken to the ground by officers with the Jacksonville Police Department just inches away from his young daughter during a school pickup situation that many people feel never should have escalated that far.
The footage, which was posted to YouTube by Accountability For All, had already pulled in more than 11,000 views and counting, adding even more heat to a situation that is now raising serious questions about the department’s escalation, freedom of speech, and what happens when an officer lets personal feelings get in the way of doing the job.
According to the YouTube channel’s description, Accountability For All refers to itself as the “police paparazzi” and says it continues “the battle for freedom everyday by practicing our rights.” The channel is known for posting and commenting on police encounters, public accountability videos, and incidents involving civil rights concerns.
In this latest video, what appeared to begin as a parking citation outside Carolina Forest Elementary School quickly turned physical. The father, who was clearly frustrated and repeatedly told officers he needed to leave because his daughter was there, can be heard using profanity while pushing officers to hurry up.
At one point, he says:
“Do what you got to do ’cause I got to get the hell out of here.”
An officer then threatens him with arrest for disorderly conduct, claiming the father’s profanity on the property was the problem.
The father, sounding stunned, responds:
“Disorderly conduct? What?”
The tension only worsened when the father argued that he had freedom of speech and could say what he wanted.
“You know it’s freedom of speech, right? I can say whatever I want. You know that, right?”
But the officer responded:
“No, you can’t, sir.”
That part is one of the biggest reasons the video is striking a nerve online. Many in the video’s comments believe the encounter stopped being about a citation and started becoming about a bruised ego and violating a citizen’s first amendment right to non-violent speech.
As the father remained near his vehicle and repeatedly pointed out that his daughter was right there, officers moved in to arrest him. He can be heard desperately trying to make them understand that his child was in the middle of everything.
“You see my daughter right there?”
He also says:
“If you touch me again, I swear to God, I protect my daughter with my life.”
What makes the footage especially hard to watch is that the child appears to be right there as the situation turns physical. At one point, another officer is seen with a weapon drawn while the father continues begging officers to think about his daughter’s safety.
“Something happens to my daughter, it’s going to be on y’all.”
Instead of backing the situation down, officers continued escalating, and seconds later, the father was tased and forced to the ground. The child can reportedly be heard screaming for her dad during the terrifying scene.
Now the video is sparking outrage far beyond Jacksonville, with people questioning whether this father was truly breaking the law or whether police simply escalated a tense but nonviolent situation because they didn’t like the way he spoke to them.
Other commenters said the most troubling part is not just the force used, but the fact that all of it happened right in front of a child .
The Black officer in this video was previously reported on back in March 2021. His name is Officer Sean Wesley Bloomfield.
Back in 2021, Bloomfield pulled over Michael Carter of Maple Hill, North Carolina, at a McDonald’s on North Marine Boulevard for driving with a suspended license. The stop eventually escalated, with Bloomfield placing his arms around Carter’s neck and later putting his knee on Carter’s neck while he was on the ground.
SEE PHOTOS BELOW!
Bloomfield was rehired by the Jacksonville Police Department in October 2021.
It is currently unclear when the incident posted by Accountability For All occurred.
