School Band Leader Tased And Arrested During School Event

Police in Birmingham, Alabama used a stun gun on a high school band director and arrested him after he refused to stop his students from performing after a football game.

The incident happened last Thursday after a game between Minor High School and Jackson-Olin High School. Body cam footage shows officers approach Minor band director Johnny Mims and ask him to stop his band from playing so they can clear the stadium. Mims tells them, “Get out of my face,” before assuring them, “This is our last song.” An officer can be heard saying, “Put him in handcuffs” before chaos erupts in the bleachers and Mims is hit with a stun gun. He’s then hauled off to jail.

State Representative Juandalynn Givan, who’s serving as Mims’ lawyer, says the incident represents “an alarming abuse of power.” For its part, the Birmingham Police Department claims the band director resisted arrest and left officers with no choice.