MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Oakland, Tennessee officers involved in the violent arrest of a Fayette County man for alleged traffic violations will not face charges.
Fayette County District Attorney Mark Davidson told ABC 24 Tuesday that a Grand Jury was presented the case Monday, and “elected to take no action with regard to the actions of the officers.”
Video of the arrest of Brandon Calloway, 26, went viral and the TBI investigated the July 16, 2022, arrest. Calloway said he was stopped because he was a young Black man driving a nice car. One officer was placed on leave during the TBI investigation.
Calloway was arrested by Oakland Police and charged with disregarding a stop sign, speeding, disorderly conduct and evading arrest. Video footage of the confrontation leading up to the arrest, which spread on social media, showed officers chasing him through his home, attempting to stun him, and beating him before dragging him away. Calloway had been set to appear on charges Monday, Nov. 28, but the D.A. said it was reset to Jan. 19.
According to a police affidavit, Calloway drove through a stop sign about 7:30 p.m. on July 16. He was then clocked driving 32 mph in a 20 mph zone (51 kph in a 32 kph zone) before an officer attempted a traffic stop. Calloway continued driving until he reached a house, where he pulled into the driveway and ran inside, the affidavit says.
The affidavit says that later Calloway and others were outside speaking with the first officer when a second officer arrived. The officers said they needed to detain Calloway, and he ran back inside the house. The officers kicked down the front door and followed Calloway upstairs, where he ran into a room and locked the door. Officers then kicked down that door, used a stun gun on him and began to hit him with a baton, the affidavit says.
The confrontation happened in Oakland, a small town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Memphis. Calloway, who runs a notary public business, said the beating left him with stitches in his head, speech problems and memory loss. At a news conference in October, he insisted he would not have been stopped in the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving if he was white.
"I just happened to get stopped in a nice car and my dad lives in a nice neighborhood," said Calloway. "That was the only crime right there."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.