MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man who was beaten by MPD in a viral video exactly one year before the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols is still pursuing ways to seek justice in his own beating.
Eric Harris, a Memphis resident, filed a complaint against the officer, leading to an internal affairs investigation.
“It’s kind of like they’re not even here to protect anyone,” said Harris. “It could have been me. I was in the same position.”
According to the affidavit, on January 7th, 2022, Memphis Police tried pulling over a red Honda Civic near Lamar Avenue and Prescott that was reported stolen. MPD said the driver rammed the police car before leading them on a chase. They also said a handgun was thrown from the car.
Harris was the passenger in the car, which police stopped near Lamar and Tuggle Road. A passerby caught the encounter on video.
“As soon as we stopped, I put my hands up to the window to let them know that I wasn’t trying to do anything,” said Harris. “I was snatched out the car after they busted the windows, dragged to the ground and hit repetitively. If you look at the video, you can probably hear me on the ground yelling, ‘They’re trying to kill me,’ screaming and saying I was scared. The guys didn’t show remorse like they didn’t care. I was blessed to come out of it.”
More than a year after Harris filed a complaint with the officer, he received a letter from Internal Affairs stating that there were violations of excessive/unnecessary force, compliance with regulations and personal conduct.
“It was a sense of relief knowing that they couldn’t just, the officer couldn’t just get away with something,” said Harris. “It just makes you feel like you can’t even trust the people who are supposed to protect you. We should be able to walk up and shake these guys’ hands. Instead, we have to look off and hope they don’t come our way.”
He said Internal Affairs told him the officer he filed the complaint against was disciplined. Harris also said all his charges were dropped except for the possession of a gun, for which he is serving three years’ probation.
“Hopefully, we can get more police officers that are less aggressive. It doesn’t always take so much aggression to arrest a person or do your job. Most people are scared and maybe run because they don’t know if it’s going to be their last day,” said Harris.
The cry for justice after Tyre Nichols’ death rings louder and louder especially for those who watched video of the January 7th beating by Memphis Police’s now disbanded Scorpion Unit. Thursday, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced at least 30 cases involving the five former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols would be dropped.
Just three weeks ago, the Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into Memphis Police and the City of Memphis.
We reached out to Memphis Police. They said they cannot comment on open criminal investigations.