Body camera footage shows arrest of Minor High School band director, who was stunned with a Taser

AN ALTERCATION THAT ENDED WITH HIS ARREST. THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AT TEN. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M SHERI FALK MINER HIGH SCHOOL BAND DIRECTOR JOHNNY MIMS IS FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES TONIGHT AFTER BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT HE BLATANTLY IGNORED THEIR REQUEST TO STOP PLAYING AFTER THE FOOTBALL GAME. WVTM13’S JARVIS ROBERTSON JOINING US NOW. AND YOU’VE BEEN COVERING THIS STORY FOR US. THE VIDEO, IT’S A LOT TO TAKE IN. WELL, IT IS, SHERRI. AND BEFORE WE GET INTO THE VIDEO, WE WANT TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY RELEASED THIS VIDEO EXACTLY ONE HOUR AGO. NOW, THIS ALL HAPPENED ON THURSDAY. WE KNOW AFTER THE MINOR AND GAME THAT GAME WAS PLAYED AT JAIL. NOW, BEFORE WE SHOW YOU THE VIDEO, SOME OF YOU MAY FIND IT DISTURBING WHEN WE SAY GO, LET’S GO. HEY, BRO, IN THE BASS, BASS, GET OUT MY FACE NOW THAT THERE’S MINOR HIGH SCHOOL’S BAND DIRECTOR, JOHNNY M&MS, YOU CAN SEE HIM RIGHT THERE TELLING THE POLICE OFFICER TO GET OUT OF HIS HIS FACE. YOU CAN YOU CAN HEAR THAT ON THE VIDEO. THEY ARE TRYING TO GET HIS BAND TO STOP PLAYING. AND OVER IN THE FAR BEHIND THEM, YOU CAN SEE THAT JOE’S BAND, THEY ARE STILL IN THE STANDS AS WELL. RIGHT HERE. JOHNNY MIMS, HE CONTINUES TO DIRECT THE BAND. THERE ARE TWO OFFICERS AT LEAST RIGHT THERE TELLING HIM THAT HE NEEDS TO GET THEM TO STOP. ONE IS A FEMALE OFFICER. SHE IS SAYING MULTIPLE TIMES, TELL THEM TO STOP. OPP ALSO, SO IS THE MALE OFFICER AT ONE POINT, THE FEMALE OFFICER EVEN SAYS, I’M GOING TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL. I’M GOING TO CONTACT THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND SHE ALSO █SAYS THAT I’M GOIN TO HAVE THEM SEND YOU ALL A BILL TOMORROW FOR THE OVERTIME. SO AGAIN, THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THEM OUT OF THE STANDS. AND RIGHT HERE AGAIN, JOHNNY MIMS, HE IS STILL DIRECTING HIS BAND AT THAT POINT. LET’S GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT PORTION OF THE VIDEO, ROE. THIS IS THE VERY INTERESTING PART. WE’VE ALREADY SEEN THAT VIRAL VIDEO THAT HAS BEEN GOING GOING AROUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE HE GETS TASED. HE IS SURROUNDED BY SEVERAL OFFICERS. THIS IS A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT, A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT. YOU CAN ALSO SEE ONE OF THE BAND MEMBERS. IT LOOKS LIKE A FLUTE OR PICCOLO PLAYER. SHE’S RIGHT THERE SCREAMING AS WELL. ONE THING WE LEARNED THAT A LOT OF THE BAND MEMBERS, A LOT OF THE PARENTS EMOTIONALLY UPSET EMOTIONS RUNNING HIGH THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, AND UNDERSTANDABLY SO, BECAUSE THEIR DIRECTOR IS INVOLVED IN A DIRECT CONFRONTATION WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT MULTIPLE TIMES. THE OFFICERS, THEY DID SAY TO JOHNNY MIMS THAT, HEY, WE WILL TAKE YOU TO JAIL. WE WILL ARREST YOU. AND AT THIS POINT, THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE. HE IS BEING HANDCUFFED AND HE’S ALSO BEING TASED. THIS IS WHAT HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF PEOPLE’S ATTENTION. HE WAS TASED IN FRONT OF HIS STUDENTS. I’M TOLD THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 145 BAND MEMBERS. I’M ASSUMING THAT BEING THE INSTRUMENT AND AS WELL AS THE AUXILIARY. BUT THEY THEY ARE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET HIM UNDER ARREST AND GET THE HANDCUFFS ON HIM. LET’S GO TO THE NEXT VIDEO. PUT HIM IN JAIL. I’M GONNA TAKE Y’ALL BACK. YOU GOING TO JAIL, BRO? HE HIT THE OPEN. HE GOT TO GO TO JAIL. HE SWUNG ON THE OFFICER. BRO. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. AWESOME, MAN. Y’ALL GRAB HIM, LOUIS. AND THAT IS WHERE YOU’RE HEARING THE ONE OF THE OFFICERS SAY HE SWUNG AT AN OFFICER. HE HAS TO GO TO JAIL NOW. LAST FRIDAY, LAST FRIDAY, THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DID PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE SAYING THAT SOME SORT OF ALTERCATION HAPPENED WHICH LED TO HIM BEING TASED. YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE THERE’S ANOTHER OFFICER WHO HAS A TASER AND WHO PUT IT ON HIS CHEST IN THAT MOMENT. YOU GUYS PROBABLY CAN’T HEAR BECAUSE I’M TALKING. BUT THAT TIME WHEN THE OFFICER PUT THE TASER ON HIS CHEST, I MEAN, THE BAND, THE CROWD, THEY VISIBLY AND AUDIBLY, YOU COULD HEAR THAT THEY WERE DISTURBED BY WHAT HAPPENED. AND HERE’S AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE TASER BEING DEPLOYED AT CLOSE RANGE. AND THAT IS WHEN HE GOES DOWN. MANY PEOPLE ALL SURROUNDING THE AREA VERY CONCERNED, VERY UPSET, AND UNDERSTANDABLY SO. IT IS A CONFRONTATION. SO LET’S GO TO THE NEXT PORTION OF THE VIDEO. SO WE’RE GOTTA GO, GO HELMET. I MEAN, JUST LOOKING AT IT AND LISTENING TO IT, YOU CAN HEAR JUST HOW DISTRAUGHT EVERYONE IS. EVEN AT SOME POINTS YOU CAN ALSO HEAR MIMS SAYING THAT I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING. I DIDN’T SWING ON THE OFFICERS. I DIDN’T HIT THE OFFICERS. THAT IS HIS STANCE THAT HE DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO THE OFFICERS. AND IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT JOHNNY MIMS, HE HAS BEEN PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WITH THE JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. OF COURSE, AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, IT’S A LOT IT GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF ANXIETY JUST WATCHING THAT BECAUSE OF ALL THE STUDENTS. A FOOTBALL GAME IS SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING FUN. YOU LISTEN TO THE BANDS AND THEN YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT. SO IT DEFINITELY WAS A LOT TO TAKE IN. I KNOW FOR HIM PROBABLY AS WELL. YOU SPOKE TO THE DIRECTOR’S ATTORNEY. WHAT’S NEXT? I’M SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT HE IS BEING REPRESENTED BY WENDELL AND GAVIN. SHE TOLD ME TODAY THIS EVENING I INTERVIEWED HER AROUND 7:00. SHE SAID THAT HE ACTUALLY RETAINED COUNSEL ON SATURDAY. SHE SAID THAT HE’S GOING TO NEED COUNSEL THROUGHOUT THIS LEGAL PROCESS TO WATCH IT ALL PLAY OUT. AND AGAIN, HE IS ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE. SO I CALLED HER TONIGHT A LITTLE AFTER 9:00. SHE WAS VERY SHOCKED BECAUSE SHE WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TOMORROW TO ACTUALLY VIEW THE BODY CAM FOOTAGE. SO HAVING IT COME OUT TONIGHT DEFINITELY CAUGHT HER OFF GUARD. BUT DURING MY TIME WITH HER VIA ZOOM, I ASKED HER HOW WAS HER CLIENT FEELING? TAKE A LISTEN. HE’S DEVASTATED AND RIGHTFULLY SO. THIS WAS VERY TRAUMATIC FOR HIM, NOT ONLY FOR HIM. YOU HAD 145 STUDENTS OUT. SO AS YOU SEE THIS INVESTIGATION IS STILL ONGOING. A LOT OF MOVING PARTS. BUT ONE THING BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT SAID IN THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO, THE CHIEF, SCOTT THURMOND, MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN, THEY ALL DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD GO AHEAD AND PUT THIS VIDEO OUT. TONIGHT. WE HAVE SEEN THE VIRAL VIDEO A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE DEFENSE OF JOHNNY MIMS. ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY WONDERING, WHY WERE THEY STILL PLAYING IN THE STANDS AFTER THE FOOTBALL GAME? SO THAT IS CALLED FIFTH QUARTER. IT IS VERY COMMON AMONG HBCU BANDS AND SOME HIGH SCHOOL BANDS IN THAT MOMENT. FIFTH QUARTER, THE BANDS, THEY STAY ON THEIR SIDES AND THEY BATTLE WITH THEIR MUSIC JUST TO SEE WHO HAS THE BETTER SHOWMANSHIP, BETTER MUSICIANS, BETTER MUSICIANSHIP, BETTER SKILLS. SO THAT’S WHAT THAT WAS. THAT’S WHY THEY WERE STILL IN THE BAND, STILL IN THE STANDS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING SO FOR MIMS, THEY WERE JUST DOING WHAT THEY DO, DOING EXACTLY DOING WHAT THEY ARE ACCUSTOMED TO DOING. ANOTHER THING I SHOULD NOTE, I REACHED OUT TO BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON WHEN I GOT IN JUST TO FIND OUT IF THEY HAD SOME SORT OF POLICY PROHIBITING FIFTH QUARTER OR ALLOWING FIFTH QUARTER. I AM STILL WAITING ON A RESPONSE FROM THEM AS WELL BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE WITH BIRMINGHAM POLICE THAT THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THAT AT THAT TIME, ACCORDING TO THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE, EVEN ONE OF THE OFFICERS SAID, I WILL SEND YOU ALL A BILL TOMORROW FOR OVERTIME. SO IT’S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING TO