MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Bodycam video shows a Memphis police officer use pepper spray on a suspect four times inside of a patrol cruiser.
The incident began at a convenience store near Lamar and Airways on January 10, 2019.
Local 24 News obtained the video after submitting a request to see all excessive force complaints against the Memphis Police Department filed between January 1, 2019 and May 28, 2020.
The following is a transcript of the first few minutes of the former officer's confrontation with the suspect. Click here for full video and story.
*Officer William Skelton gets out of the car*
Skelton: C'mon.
Suspect: I'm going home.
Skelton: Not now, C'mon. You're under arrest. I said you're under arrest, Motherf*****. Get the f*** over here. Get your motherf***ing a** over here. Hands on the car. Hands on the car, d***head.
Suspect: Oh, s***, I didn't do nothing.
Officer 2: Keep your hands on the hood.
Suspect: I didn't do nothing, man. I was trying to go to work.
Skelton: Have you even ever had a real job?
Suspect: Downtown.
Skelton: Yeah, you're about to have some work downtown. Hands behind your back. You're under arrest.
*Skelton cuffs Suspect*
Skelton: Hang on to those for me, please. This way.
Suspect: Where we going?
Skelton: Jail.
Suspect: For what?
Skelton: F-, uh, Vandalism.
Suspect: What'd I vandal-
Skelton: The inside of the store.
Suspect: What did I do?
Skelton: You vandalized the inside of the store. Sit.
*Skelton leads Suspect to the back of the police cruiser and opens the rear, driver-side door.*
Suspect: No, I didn't, I bought some coffee.
Skelton: Good. Sit.
Suspect: May I have it?
Skelton: No, sit.
Suspect: Why not?
Skelton: Because I said so.
*Suspect sits in back of police cruiser*
Skelton: Put your feet in.
Suspect: *inaudible*
Skelton: Eat a d**k, motherf***er.
*Skelton closes the door of the police cruiser*
Officer 3: A lobotomy is sounding nicer.
Skelton: Yeah, it sure is. Sure is.
Officer 3: *We need to ________ this f**** with all we can ___________
Skelton: No, No.
Officer 3: Are you sure?
Skelton: 774, one black male in custody.
*Skelton opens rear, driver-side door to the police cruiser, aims pepper foam cannister at Suspect*
Skelton: Kick my car again, I'm going to foam you. You understand me, d***head? I will spray the f*** out of you; you worthless piece of incestuous s***.
*Skelton closes the police cruiser door*
Skelton: I'm going to stay out here and keep an eye on him.
*Skelton opens front, driver-side door of police cruiser*
Skelton: Suck my balls, d***head.
*Skelton closes the door*
Skelton, to officer 3: Come again?
Officer 3: I threw his matches away.
Skelton: Sounds good.
*Skelton Spits*
Officer 2: What do you want to do with him?
Skelton: I told him I was going to spray him. 774, suspect is kicking my car door. I am deploying my pepper foam.
*Skelton opens rear, driver-side door of police cruiser and sprays Suspect with pepper foam. He then walks behind the police cruiser, opens the rear passenger-side door and sprays Suspect with pepper foam again*
Officer 2: You get him?
Skelton: I'm trying.
*Skelton opens rear, driver-side door of police cruiser and sprays Suspect with pepper foam for a third time. Then goes back to the rear, passenger-side door, grabs Suspect to move him into a different position and sprays Suspect for a fourth time. *
Officer 3: You alright?
Skelton: *quietly* Yep
Officer 3: We would have- Would have gotten f***ed up real bad.
Skelton: I don't think so. Anyone got a rip-hobble? Mine seems to be missing.
Officer 3: I got a rip-hobble.
Skelton: K. 774, suspect appears to have calmed down. We're securing the rip-hobble now.
Officer 3: I haven't hobbled somebody in a long time. I know this hangs at the door.
Skelton: Yep.
Officer 3: I'll hold him on the other side.
Skelton: Good luck.
Officer 3: Unlock it.
*Skelton opens rear, driver-side door, Officer 3 opens rear, driver-side. Skelton begins hobbling Suspect*
Skelton: Kick me and you'll get it again.
Suspect: No, sir. Can you let the windows down?
Skelton: For you? Hell no. Not after that. You're going to make me have to treat you like that after I tried to be good to you the first time? Tried to take you somewhere, get you some help. Then you make me go and be an a**hole; and now you're going to ask me for a favor? I don't think so.
*Skelton hobbles Suspect and both officers close the police cruiser doors.*
Skelton: 774, rip-hobble secure. He wanted me to roll the window down. *laughs*. I probably should.
Officer 3: He was calling you "Sir" at the end of that, though.
Skelton: Yeah, he was. He was.
Officer 2: You just gotta encourage him with a little calm down. By doing that it'll calm him down now.
Skelton: I hope so. I'm going to get some overtime out of this, gentleman.
Officer 3: I've never seen someone spray someone before.
Skelton: First time I've used the foam.
Officer 3: I bet that stung like a motherf***er.
Skelton: I hope so.
Officer 4: *inaudible*
Skelton: I don't know if he'll give it to me.
*Skelton gets into the driver seat of the police cruiser, retrieves a notepad*
Skelton: You got enough for a felony?
Officer 4: Yes.
Skelton: Good. Did you hear all that on the radio?
Officer 4: Fantastic
Skelton: Thank you.
Officer 4: I've never been more proud of you.
Skelton. Oh, well, thank you. Never?
*Skelton hands paper to Officer 4. He opens the driver door of the police cruiser. Suspect can be heard choking and coughing*
Officer 4: One of the very rare times *then inaudible as Skelton walks away*
Officer 5: Did you spray him?
Skelton: I foamed him.
Officer 5: Good.
Skelton: I foamed the f*** out of him.
Officer 5: I'm *says something inaudible while touching his body camera*
Skelton: That's fine!
*Skelton takes his body camera from his vest and points it at his face*
Skelton: I foamed the f*** out of him!
*Skelton returns the body camera to his vest*
Skelton: I'll tell the camera I foamed the f*** out of him. I told him I was going to foam the f*** out of him.
Officer 3: He did and then he started kicking again. Like, are you going to do it? And I'm like "aww s***, here we go".
Skelton: He kicked the door. I said "You do it again, I'm going to foam you". He did it again. So I foamed him.
Officer 5: Ok. Fine with me.
Officer 3: And then we rip-hobbled his a**.
Skelton: Yeah, and he is rip-hobbled now. And now he's calling me sir.
Officer 3: Yeah, now he's being real respectful.
*Skelton places the pepper foam cannister on the back of the police cruiser*
Skelton to Officer 5: Here's the thing. I know you're going to need to weigh it.
Officer 5: Oh, you got his name and stuff?
Skelton: Oh, yeah. Bittick's working on the ticket right now.
Officer 5: *laughs*
Skelton: I told him.
Officer 2: You did give him a fair warning.
Officer 3: When he started kicking, I turned my body camera on right then. I was like "aww s***"
Skelton: Oh, is it not unlocked? It's unlocked.
*Officer 5 opens front, driver-side door of police cruiser*
Officer 5: Is an ambulance coming?
Skelton: Yeah. 774, you have an ambulance in route? Check.
*Officer 5 rolls the window down for Suspect*
