An Ohio police officer who was fired late last month ostensibly for releasing his K-9 on a suspect who’d already surrendered was actually fired for something else.
During a July 4th stop, Circleville Police Department Officer Ryan Speakman released his K9 on Jadarrius Rose, a 23-year-old truck driver who’d “led officers from several jurisdictions on a more-than-20-minute chase around Central Ohio after failing to pull over for an inspection,” according to local station WSYX.
However, he reportedly released the K9 after Rose was already on his knees with his hands up. And he released the K9 despite another officer telling him not to release it.
“Once Rose pulled over and stepped out of his tractor trailer, police body-camera video showed him trying to surrender. Despite that, Speakman sicced the dog on him,” WSYX reported Monday.
The dog wound up mauling Rose.
Watch bodycam footage of the incident below (*Graphic content):
WARNING: this video shows Ohio cop Ryan Speakman disobeying orders and releasing a dog to maul Jadarrius Rose, who was unarmed and already surrendering to police.
Jadarrius was being detained for failing to stop for a vehicle inspection. Speakman apparently thought, against… pic.twitter.com/f1U0y10iml
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) July 25, 2023
“Do not release the dog with his hands up!” another officer can be heard shouting in the video above.
Following the incident, Speakman was initially placed on administrative leave. But then he was soon after fired, presumably — or so everybody thought — because of the mauling.
Fast-forward to this week, when new documents were released showing that he was, in fact, fired for his post-incident behavior, not over the incident itself.
Indeed, when a review board examined the incident, they reportedly ruled “that all personnel involved acted within departmental policy regarding the use of force and canine operations policies.”
So what cost Speakman his job? His flapping gums.
“As investigators were investigating the matter further through the month of July, Speakman was talking about it with colleagues and family members,” WSYX notes, citing the newly released documents.
According to the Associated Press, the records specifically show that Circleville Police Department Chief Shawn Baer met with Speakman on July 19th to discuss “reports that he had been crying and speaking to colleagues about being stressed over the incident.”
“Baer said he told Speakman that his conduct was not beneficial to himself or the agency, according to the documents the department provided,” the AP notes.
They met again a day later when Baer learned that Speakman was still yapping his gums. This time the chief asked him to write up a list of the people he’d spoken to about the incident. The list reportedly included members of his own family.
During the meeting, Speakman begged Baer to not “take his best friend from him,” the documents show. The “best friend” was the K9.
Speakman was fired soon after.
The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the police union Speakman belongs to, has since reportedly filed a grievance demanding he be reinstated because contract rules weren’t correctly followed when he was fired.
Meanwhile, left-wing members of the public are now gunning for Speakman because it turns out Rose is black, and that therefore evidently makes the incident racist:
No excuses. Put that cop in jail. Pathetic weak men with stronger dogs than them should not be police.
— William Schwandt (@Billschwandt1) July 24, 2023
The officer even called the dog back to attack the man. Its so blatant and inexcusable. A literal race soldier.
— FlameAlchemist (@FocusedJustice) July 24, 2023
In my opinion that’s attempted murder by torture & mutilation and BOTH animals should be euthanized. Pure evil is what that was!
— Sherm-X69X (@ShermX69X) July 25, 2023
So is this what they mean about “try that in a small town?” Asking for those who are playing stupid when we say it’s a “dog whistle” for racists like that k9 handler.
— choice is yours (@jessicaromanos1) July 24, 2023
White supremacy breaks rules, and re-rights laws in order to enact their violent will on black Americans as a tradition. Hopefully enough outrage, will come in order to alleviate him from his job.
— Wilkenz (@W46718537) July 24, 2023
Jadarrius Rose 23 Hands Up on his Knees. ‘I just didn’t want to die’ Ohio Cop Ryan Speakman FIRED for releasing police DOG on Black truck driver WTF #LockHimUp Back to 1960s Civil Rights Movement when police dogs were let loose on non-violent protesters Ben @AttorneyCrump pic.twitter.com/SbVLi5UnK8
— MICHAEL DOLLAR (@MICHAELDOLLAR) July 28, 2023
However, some critics have pushed back by arguing that Rose shouldn’t have sent the cops on a chase and shouldn’t have initially resisted.
“Jadarrius Rose initially refused to get out of the truck and later defied instructions to get on the ground, according to the incident report and the body cam video,” the AP notes.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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