MPD: Officer hired after being charged, and cleared, in assault on unarmed Black man is no longer with department
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis Police Department says that an officer who was hired after being charged, but later cleared, of assaulting an unarmed Black man is no longer with the department.
As WCCO reported in April, Fairfax County police officer Tyler Timberlake was one of the first on scene when La Monta Gladney was walking in the street, rambling incoherently in June of 2020. This was just days after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.
Body camera video shows Timberlake hitting Gladney with the stun gun before using it on him again. He then kneeled on Gladney's neck and back.
Timberlake was arrested and charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery and relieved of duty. Two years after the incident, Timberlake was acquitted of the assault charges.
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When news of Timberlake's hiring got out earlier this year, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara released a statement, saying in part, "I am extremely concerned about what I have just learned pertaining to the hiring of this individual who is currently in agency training and yet to be deployed into service."
On Thursday, city officials confirmed with WCCO that Timberlake's last day of employment with the Minneapolis Police Department was July 5. His total time with the MPD was just under six months.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis released this statement Thursday:
It is truly unfortunate Chief O'Hara released Officer Tyler Timberlake from employment from the police department. Chief O'Hara was in the final interview of Timberlake and was fully aware of his history. During his final interview, he was assured by Chief O'Hara he would be okay, if he did good work. This is clearly not the case.
The hiring of Timberlake was not an issue until an April 19th news article created a politically charged narrative of his hiring, which, grew in intensity, when Chief O'Hara stated "I am extremely concerned about what I have just learned pertaining to the hiring of this individual who is currently in agency training and yet to be deployed into service".
By all MN POST standards, nothing precludes Timberlake from being a peace officer in the state of Minnesota. He was acquitted on all charges in Virginia and remained employed for nearly three years after the incident. Releasing an officer with nearly 1,800 hours of training, years of prior experience and is qualified to work in the state of Minnesota, seems counterproductive as the police department continues to struggle to meet staffing needs and has approximately 42% less sworn officers, than what it had 3 years ago.
