White Virginia cop is charged with assault after bodycam footage shows him repeatedly use a Taser on a black man while kneeling on his back as the victim pleads ‘I can’t breathe’ and police chief blasts the 'horrible use of force'

A white police officer in Virginia has been charged with assault after body camera footage showed him using 'unacceptable' force when using a stun gun on a disoriented black man who screamed 'I can't breathe'.

The Fairfax County Police Department on Saturday released footage of the June 5 incident, which showed Officer Tyler Timberlake using excessive force on a victim. 

It is one of several recent allegations of police brutality after the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Footage begins with an unidentified Fairfax police officer interacting with a man who appears to be disoriented and pacing along a residential street.

At no point during the footage shown did the victim violently approach officers and vocalize threats. 

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Officer Tyler Timberlake was arrested on three counts of assault and battery in connection to the incident

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Timberlake appeared to use the stun gun more than once and ignored the man's screams  during the incident 

Ambulances and EMTs are parked nearby as authorities ask if the man needs oxygen.

'I'm here to help you, just tell me what you need,' one EMT urges, adding that authorities are there to help the man. 

The man continues to pace when Timberlake suddenly arrives to the scene in a police cruiser and approaches the man.

Without warning Timberlake appears to deploy a stun gun, prompting the man to scream out in pain and drop to the ground. 

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At least four officers detained the man and handcuffed him while he cried 'I can't breathe'

Timberlake then presses his knee into the man's back, repeatedly telling the man to relax, and appears to strike the victim with the gun when he did not comply.

For a brief moment the body camera footage is covered, but the sound of the stun gun being deployed is heard and Timberlake is soon videoed aiming the tool at the man's back. 

At least four officers then wrestle the man onto the ground as he yells 'No!' and  exclaims 'I can't breathe' as they tower over him.

The footage ends with the man lying handcuffed on the concrete as authorities prepare to place him in the ambulance. 

Timberlake, an eight-year law enforcement veteran, was arrested on three counts of assault and battery in connection to the incident. He faces up to 36 months in prison if convicted. 

Additionally, all officers involved involved in the incident have been 'relieved of duty' while criminal and administrative investigations are underway. 

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The Fairfax County Police Department charged Officer Tyler Timberlake over his 'horrible use of force' during an incident on June 5. he is seen approaching the man above

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The disoriented African-American man was pacing along a residential street in Fairfax County on  Friday, prompting authorities and EMTs to respond 

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During the altercation, Timberlake (right) approached the man and without warning let loose a stun gun on him

Those officers have not faced any criminal charges. 

'As an officer attempted to deescalate the situation that was underway, PFC Timberlake arrived shortly after and used force that is unacceptable,' the Fairfax County Police Department said in a statement. 

Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr, Fairfax County Police Chief, said in a news conference that the video showed Timberlake violating the department's policies with 'horrible use of force'.

He added that Timberlake committed 'criminal acts' that both 'violate our oath of office' and 'ignore the sanctity of human life,' according to CNN. 

A video uploaded to the department's Facebook page showed Roessler reviewing the body camera footage and being physically dismayed by Timberlake's reported response.

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Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr, Fairfax County Police Chief (pictured) called the incident 'unacceptable' after reviewing body camera footage 

'The video also erodes the public's trust of police officers, not only in Fairfax County, but throughout this world. These acts are unacceptable,' said Roessler 

The victim, who was treated at a local hospital after the incident, and his mother were contacted by Roessler after the fact.

Roessler shared his 'disgust' with Timberlake's alleged actions and 'assured her justice will be served'.

Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve T. Descano revealed that he was made aware of the footage by Roessler ahead of charging Timberlake.

'We can all agree that the footage of this incident is unsettling,' said Descano.

'I want our community to know that we are pursuing charges that are in line with current law and supported by the evidence with which we have been presented.

'However, I also appreciate that this may not immediately reconcile our feelings about what we see.'

Descano also praised the use of body cameras to record the incident , adding that he 'cannot overstate' the importance of the footage in this case.

'Without it I fear we would have had an unfortunately narrow and somewhat distorted view of what happened in one of our own neighborhoods,' he said. 

George Floyd, 46, (pictured) was an African-American man who was killed while in police custody on  Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Demonstrations against police brutality have gripped the nation after Floyd, 46, was killed two weeks ago.

Thousands of people in more than 140 cities in the United States rallied together in protests after footage showed Floyd pleading 'I can't breathe' while white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck.

On Sunday, Attorney General William Barr argued that law enforcement in America is not 'systematically racist' after being criticized for his role in authorities' aggressive response to protests. 

'I think there's racism in the United States still but I don't think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist,' he said during his Sunday morning interview with CBS News' Face the Nation.

'I understand the distrust, however, of the African-American community given the history in this country.' 

'I think we have to recognize that for most of our history, our institutions were explicitly racist. Since the 1960s, I think we've been in a phase of reforming our institutions and making sure that they're in sync with our laws and aren't fighting a rearguard action to impose inequities,' he continued.

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Attorney General Bill Barr asserted Sunday morning that there is not 'systematic racism' in law enforcement

Barr came under fire last week after allowing law enforcement to reportedly use pepper spray and nonlethal bullets to disperse the crowd. 

Moments later, Trump emerged from the White House trailed by aides and colleagues as he traveled to St. John's Church for an apparent photo-op.

Barr, as well as the Trump administration, have been blasted for their reliance on military forces like the National Guard to stop demonstrations.  

In response to Floyd's death and the subsequent handling by Trump, some have called for police department's to be defunded.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was booed out of a Black Lives Matter demonstration on Saturday after refusing to defund the city's police department

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota conversely told a crowd of protesters that 'it's time to disband the Minneapolis Police Department' and that the institution was 'rotten to the core'.

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A protester is arrested on Fifth Avenue by NYPD officers during a march Thursday in the Manhattan borough of New York. Police have been detaining and arresting curfew violators

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Police officers arrest people for breaking the curfew as they continued to protest demanding an end to police brutality and racial injustice over the death of George Floyd on Thursday

On Sunday the Minneapolis City Council announced its intention to 'dismantle' the city's police department and phase in a community policing model.

'Our commitment is to end our city's toxic relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department, to end policing as we know it, and to re-create systems of public safety that actually keep us safe,' Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said to KARE11.

Nine of the council's 12 members appeared at a rally in a city park Sunday afternoon and vowed to end policing as the city currently knows it.

The council members ended up standing before hundreds of people on a grassy hill and pledged to begin the process of taking apart the Police Department in its current form. 

Neither Mayor Frey nor Governor Tim Walz have responded to these claims.