Monterrious Harris, a 22-year-old Black man said in an interview that he was assaulted by a group of Memphis police officers that included the five former officers charged with the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols. According to a report by NBC News, Harris said he was beaten up three days before Nichols was attacked by some of the same officers who were with the now-disbanded Scorpion Unit.
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Who is Monterrious Harris?
Harris said that the black-clad men who ordered him to get out of his car on January 4 did not identify themselves. He added that he had no idea they were part of the special crime-fighting team that would be implicated in Nichols’ death, reported NBC.
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“They were trying to pull me out of the car, but my car was locked. I thought someone was trying to carjack me. I didn’t know they were officers,” Harris said this week.
The 22-year-old man said he plans to sue the city and its police department Saturday in US District Court in Memphis.
A January 4 affidavit of complaint filed by the arresting officers showed that the five officers involved in Nichols beating were part of the nine-member squad that arrested Harris. However, the documents did not reveal whether any officers were involved in a physical altercation.
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According to Harris, he was sitting in his car at the Twin Oak Apartments when several men wearing ski masks suddenly came with guns drawn. One guy banged on the window of his car, a Chrysler 300, and another blinded him with a flashlight as other officers surrounded his vehicle. They closed in on him and asked him to put his hands up but before he could do that, they slammed him on the concrete and started punching him in the face, said Harris, according to the report.
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He was arrested and taken to jail, where a nurse determined he needed medical attention, which he received at a hospital.
According to the affidavit, the Scorpion team was investigating the apartment complex when Harris started screeching his tires and drove at the officers at a fast speed before he stopped. Smelling marijuana they asked Harris to roll down his window but he drove his car in reverse, abandoned the vehicle, and tried to run away.
Two years ago, Harris was convicted of a felony in Arkansas for fleeing law enforcement in a manner that could cause substantial injury or death. He had a 9 mm handgun, marijuana, and the anxiety medication Xanax, according to the affidavit.
