Former Hardin County deputy fired from LMPD days after dash cam video of a 2021 arrest was released
By: There are new developments after dash cam video of a violent arrest is released. We’ve learned one of the officers in the video has been fired from his department.
WAVE News showed you the video of Joshua Tyler’s arrest in February 2021 earlier this week. It showed officers hitting him while he was on the ground.
One of the officers involved in the arrest has now been identified as former Hardin County Deputy Donald Johnson. Johnson left the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office to join the Louisville Metro Police Department as a Probationary Officer in May 2022 but was fired on Friday.
The release of this dash cam video has brought a lot of attention.
The FBI is investigating the incident, one of the officers involved, Donald Johnson, was fired after being a probationary officer for LMPD and now, a family has some clarity of how Feb. 6, 2021 went down.
A video and a moment that has now changed a lot of lives.
To understand how things escalated in the dash cam video you have to go back to the beginning of a high-speed chase.
A Kentucky State Police trooper attempts to pull over Joshua Tyler for not having his lights on and at first it looked like he would stop, but then he takes off.
The chase ended 20 minutes later on North Dixie Highway.
Tyler’s family said he should have never sped off from police, but his history made him scared.
“He pulled out and when the cops hit him, because of his past and because of the trouble he’s been in, he automatically got scared,” said Joshua’s father Joe Tyler. “Because this happens all the time. Which granted, is not an excuse. He should have pulled over, yes.”
Police reports stated that Tyler tried to ram police vehicles several times and even tried to brake check them before he came to a stop.
After he stops, Johnson pulled Tyler to the ground after he comes out with his hands up.
Video shows Johnson push Tyler’s face to the ground and start punching him in the head while trying to put handcuffs on him.
In his police report, Johnson said Tyler was resisting arrest, but the family feels he and the other officers were excessive.
”He’s still a human being. He still has rights,” Joshua’s sister Katie Tyler exclaimed. “Granted he’s my brother and I love him, yes. Did he do wrong? Yes. But I still don’t think what they did is fair and I don’t think they should be able to cover it up or get away with it either.”
I reached out to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office for comment and they sent a statement saying in part:
Tyler pled guilty to several counts and was sentenced to seven years.
But now that they have this video, the family hopes they can get Joshua home sooner rather than later.
”He deserves a fair trial like everyone else. And he didn’t get that,” Joe and Katie Tyler said. “Right is right, and wrong is wrong.”
WAVE News reached out to the Tyler family Friday to let them know about Donald Johnson being fired and they told us the news made their whole day.