ORLANDO, Fla. – Video circulating on social media shows the moment Rodney Davis was pulled from his car and slammed to the ground by Orlando Police officers near Central Street and Orange Avenue Sunday night during Florida Classic Weekend.
The Marion County resident, says he was “thrown down face first into the pavement, knees all in my back,” after Orlando Police officers pulled him from his car.
Davis and his attorney, Rajan Joshi, are speaking out, accusing OPD of using excessive force.
Joshi compared the encounter to past high-profile brutality cases, saying, “This is just like being treated like Rodney King or George Floyd, and this is happening in Orlando.”
Davis says he tried to warn officers that the car was still in drive and that his 12-year-old son was inside.
”When I was thrown to the ground, my car started rolling,” he said.
The video also shows his 17-year-old son being thrown to the ground and arrested.
“To be face down on the ground looking up at your son and seeing him getting slammed into the ground, not able to do anything about it, is horrible,” Davis said.
According to the arrest affidavit, several people were standing inside the vehicle on the seats and on the rear of the car, dancing, creating a crowd and blocking traffic.
Police charged Davis under Florida’s street-racing law with operating a vehicle in a street takeover.
Joshi disputed that, saying, “This is absolute police brutality, and then they charge him with something they can’t prove. There is no probable cause to prove that there was street racing. This is anything but street racing.”
Davis and his attorney did not clarify how the car ended up in that position, but said the first group of officers instructed Davis to move his vehicle before a second group of officers on bikes pulled him out.
Davis is calling for the charges to be dropped and plans to take legal action against OPD.
We reached out to Orlando Police on Wednesday morning for comment. They told us to submit a public records request.
We asked again that afternoon if they planned to address the accusations, but we have not heard back.
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