More than four years after Mekale Ducksworth, 30, of Laurel was “tased” and arrested by Laurel Police with his two young sons in the vehicle and three years after he was found not guilty of charges against him, the body-cam video of his arrest is making a buzz on social media. 

Ducksworth posted to social media the body-cam footage and a post that said, “Time’s up. No need to debate about what is viewed in the following video. Most of you know the story ... For the ones who don’t, stay tuned.”

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In October, officers involved in the incident filed an appeal in the Fifth Circuit Court against a motion issued by U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett. Ducksworth filed a civil suit in May 2020 over an encounter at a car wash on March 15, 2018, in which he was arrested and “tased” by Laurel Police in Jones County Circuit Court for violation of his First, Fourth and 14th amendment protections. The case was moved to the U.S. District Court of Southern Mississippi and will be heard by Starrett. Ducksworth’s trial date in December 2021 was pushed. The LPD did not comment, citing ongoing litigation.

Ducksworth was arrested at the Rainforest Carwash in Laurel for failure to comply and disorderly conduct after being “tased” and “officers tried to force him to leave the scene after he was told it was OK to remain on the property by the attendant,” according to the complaint. He was found not guilty of the charges by county court Judge Wayne Thompson Oct. 10, 2019. 

The officers who responded to the call were Justin Landrum, Clint Hedgepeth, Welch and John Windsor “about an unruly customer at the business.” The complaint stated that another individual called, believing that the unruly customer was Kenny Rogers Jr., a man who had warrants for his arrest. 

When police arrived, the attendant on duty told them that Ducksworth had pulled his truck into a vacuum bay before paying for a car wash and that he became belligerent when she told him that he had to pay for a car wash first. The attendant told police that Ducksworth apologized “for being an ass” before they arrived. 

When police asked her if she wanted Ducksworth to leave, the attendant responded, “As long as he stays out there and he does what he's doing now, he's fine. But like I told him, there was no need in him doing all that.” Police decided to go talk to Ducksworth and “find out what his problem is.”

One of the officers asked Ducksworth to exit his truck. When he exited the truck, police saw it was not Rogers. Ducksworth explained what happened, said he apologized to the car wash employee and accused police of “harassing him.” One of the officers told Ducksworth to “get in your vehicle, leave and don't come back.” Ducksworth responded, “I'm gonna vacuum my truck out first. I paid for my service,” refusing to leave, according to the video footage. The officers continued to tell him to leave, and he refused.

Officer Landrum took a step toward Ducksworth. In the video, Ducksworth then said, “Don't put your hands on me, bro. Don't put your hands on me.” One of the officers in the background asked, “What you gonna do?” At the same time, Landrum immediately drew his “taser” and ordered Ducksworth to turn around and place his hands behind his head. Ducksworth refused and said, “I'm gonna get in my truck and leave, man.” 

Landrum continued to order Ducksworth to put his hands behind his back, and Ducksworth said, “What's your name, man?” Landrum then deployed his “taser,” and Hedgepeth and Windsor moved in and started trying to wrestle Ducksworth to the ground. Welch first said, “Taser, Taser!” Welch continued to “tase” Ducksworth as he fell to the ground, and Hedgepeth and Windsor put cuffs on him.

According to the court records, as Hedgepeth and Windsor cuffed Ducksworth, Welch kept his “taser” pressed to Ducksworth’s back. One of the officers said, “When we tell you to do something, you do it! I don't care who you think you are,” to which Ducksworth responded, “I'm just trying to speak up for myself. There's too much going on here,” according to the video. 

The same officer said, “When we tell you to leave, that's what you have to do.” As the officers continued to secure Ducksworth, he told them that his children were in the truck,  asked to see them and said the officers’ actions were unnecessary.

Ducksworth said, “I can't finish my services,” according to the video to which one of the officers responded, “When you bow up to the police, that's what happens.”

Of the four officers involved in the complaint, only Windsor is still employed by the LPD.

Editor’s note: The term “taser” is used in court documents and quotes, but a lawyer for Axon Enterprise, Inc. (formerly TASER International) has sent correspondence to the paper noting that it is a trademarked term.

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