'It was a horrifying situation': Minor High School band director speaks after arrest

Days after getting tased and arrested by Birmingham police, Minor High School's band director, Johnny Mims, is speaking out.“My whole goal was just try to understand why, you know, they were they were pulling me or grabbing me,” Mims said.Birmingham's police chief allowed the release of this body cam video of the controversial arrest.The department says after the Jackson Olin and Minor game ended last week, officers told Mims to quiet his band, but he refused.In the video, you can hear Mims tell an officer, “Get out my face,” several times."There was one officer, like directly in front of my face, which I thought was very threatening to me,” Mims said.During the arrest, Mims was hit with a stun gun three times."I can't remember at that point because I was so stunned and so baffled. All I remember is he and all of my students are screaming, all of the parents crying. I mean, it was it was a horrifying situation,” Mims said.Jefferson County school leaders watched the video before the public. Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin said it was sad to watch. He adds, “It's extremely upsetting to me that our students, our children, had to witness that scene.""I've heard we've had students that had to be, you know, sent to the hospital. The EMT had to be sent out because kids were having panic attacks,” Mims said.Mims' attorney says this incident happened during the fifth quarter. It’s where bands battle it out from the stands. "It's a very popular time during the football season amongst bands. It's almost like a battle of the band,” Givan said.Birmingham City Schools says as a safety precaution, fifth-quarter performances are not allowed and that high school bands in BCS are instructed to exit the stadium at the end of football games. Jefferson County Schools says it has counselors available to students who witnessed the incident. The superintendent says he won’t comment on the specifics of the video because it’s still under investigation. Birmingham City Schools say there's no investigation on its end. The superintendent and security team reviewed videos and said BCS security at the time, attempted to calm the situation.Warning: Some viewers may find the video above disturbing.The Minor High School band director, Johnny Mims, spoke for the first time after he was arrested and stunned with a Taser."All I remember is hearing all of my students screaming, all of the parents crying," Mims said. "It was a horrifying situation. I just hate to even have to keep talking about it."Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13The Birmingham Police Department released a video Monday showing the arrest of Minor High School's band director, who was also stunned with a Taser. Juandalynn Givan, the attorney for band director Johnny Mims, said the bands were taking part in the fifth quarter. This is a time after the game when some high schools and historically Black colleges and universities will have their bands battle to see who is better. "As a safety precaution, fifth quarter performances are not allowed," Birmingham City Schools said in a statement Wednesday.The school district also said that the superintendent and security team reviewed the videos and found that the security team present at the time of the incident "attempted to calm the situation," according to a statement. The school district is not investigating. Body camera footage released by the Birmingham Police Department starts 18 minutes after the game ends and shows officers walking onto the bleachers to where the band is playing.Multiple officers can be heard yelling at the instructor, Mims, to leave and that they are going to contact the school. He responded by telling them that it was the last song.The field lights go off, and the director ends the song. A sergeant says to place him in handcuffs.The crowd starts yelling as the body cam footage moves to show an altercation between officers and the band director. It is unclear who started the altercation. An officer then deploys a taser three separate times in front of a crowd full of students. The full body camera footage released by the Birmingham Police Department can be seen below. Warning: Some people may find the video disturbing. Mims was taken to UAB Hospital and then Birmingham City Jail, where he was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and resisting arrest, police said. He later bonded out.The Alabama Education Association will address the incident on Wednesday in a news conference.Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube The Birmingham Police Department's Internal Affairs Division is investigating. This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.