Frisco chef, representative outraged after he was arrested, Tased by police at Love Field
Outrage is growing over the video of a Frisco-based personal chef detained by police at Love Field and then shot with a Taser.
Michael Singleton usually loves going viral. He showcases his culinary skills daily for his 92,000 followers on Instagram.
Last Friday at Dallas Love Field, as Singleton was about to fly to visit his sick mother, he was detained by plainclothes Dallas police officers. He begged people to record it, and they did.
Video of incident goes viral
"They are arresting me for the wrong reason," Singleton is heard saying in the video just before an officer fired a Taser gun.
"I thought I was going to die that day I was Tased," said Singleton. "You have that feeling. I don't want anyone to have that feeling, but I had that feeling like I was dying."
He said officers accused him of carrying drugs. They found none.
"I called my name out because if anything happened to me, just not the police would know who I am," said Singleton.
Singleton and lawyer claim civil rights violation
Singleton said Dallas police violated his civil rights when he was about to board the flight to California.
"At point-blank range, a Dallas police officer with his service weapon shot a Taser less than five inches away and struck Mr. Singleton in his heart," Singleton's representative, Robert Slater, said during a news conference. "We are here asking for common decency. We are asking for due process."
Dallas officers, according to a statement, located Singleton for outstanding warrants. DPD said he resisted and refused to put his arms behind his back, and they say policy allows the use of a Taser in this situation to de-escalate an arrest.
Singleton's attorney, William Greer, said the video shows the use of force was not consistent with Dallas police policy, it was "unnecessary" and a violation of Singleton's rights.
"The use of force used against Mr. Singleton was not consistent with DPD's policy continuum for appropriate force based upon the events we have all witnessed in the video," Greer said in a statement to CBS News Texas. "Mr. Singleton verbally proclaimed his innocence and simply asked for someone to record the events while stating his name. The officers had control of his hands. This was after being screened by TSA as he clearly had no drugs nor weapons. There was no need to taser Mr. Singleton. This was unnecessary and infringed upon his civil rights."
