Bodycam released when a St. Lucie County sheriff's deputy was arrested for battery
By: The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of its deputies today for one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of making a false statement.
Randy Walker, an eight-year deputy of the St Lucie County Sheriff's Office, was arrested on two warrants related to an arrest he was involved in on April 2.
"His actions that day were not that of the expectations of the sheriff’s office," St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF 25 News.
During an internal review, which included a review of body-worn cameras and statements from other deputies present for the arrest, the deputy was found to have used excessive force during an arrest.
It all began when Deputy Walker said a silver Chevrolet Malibu had a stolen license plate out of Fort Pierce. He reported that this then prompted him to follow him.
"Based on the driving pattern, we believe the occupants just committed or were about to commit a crime as it was still in an area where the uptick in shootings have been occurring," the detective said in a written report.
Body camera video then shows him walking up to the driver and his passenger, after they stopped near Turnpike Feeder Road and Winter Garden Parkway. Video shows the deputy pointing a gun at them, as the driver asks why he was doing that.
The video then shows the deputy asking the driver to turn off his car. But the man soon drives off, prompting a pursuit.
Body camera then shows the chase continuing in a wooded area. The driver is heard yelling 'ow,' and asked deputies to "please stop the dog," as deputies brought out their K9 unit.
"Had the deputies ... and the checks and balances and the body-worn cameras that are worn by all of our deputies not been in place, nobody would have known about this," Sheriff Pearson said.
The internal review then led to an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division, which worked with the State Attorney’s Office and issued two warrants signed by a judge.
The false statement is related to the incident report Walker completed regarding the arrest.
In the video, the deputy is also heard saying that the driver was "fighting the dog."
During the course of the investigation, Walker was on paid administrative leave. As of Saturday, he is on unpaid administrative leave pending a notice of termination.
"His peers had the hard task of investigating one of their own," the sheriff told WPBF 25 News.
Walker had turned himself into jail on Saturday, where he posted bond.