PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A man beaten in the body by a Paulding County congressman wants the congressman fired. The MP’s dashcam video captured the incident in a video that has since gone viral.
Tyler Canaris was going to work on March 4, 2022 when Deputy Michael McMaster pulled him over on Evans Mills Drive. McMaster told Canaris that he matched the description of a suspect in a car break-in they were looking for in the area.
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Canaris insists to McMaster that he didn’t break into cars.
In the video, McMaster tries to handcuff Canaris when Canaris’ attorneys say McMaster knocks him to the ground without provocation. Deputies said Canaris refused to give McMaster his backpack, which led to McMaster using force.
McMaster is now on duty while the GBI investigates.
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Channel 2’s Tom Jones spoke to Tyler Canaris on Monday, who suffered a broken collarbone, broken hand, ruptured eardrum, fractured skull and concussion in the incident. He said he’s now struggling at work and facing $75,000 worth of medical bills.
“I can’t go about my duties the way I used to,” Canaris said.
Canaris is now also accused of obstructing an officer, which his lawyers deny.
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Attorneys Shean Williams and Torris Butterfield. urging that McMaster be fired immediately and the obstruction charges against Canaris dropped.
“Tyler never did anything to hinder this officer,” Butterfield said.
Williams and Butterfield said the video showed Canaris did not resist the arrest. They say records show McMaster had a history of being overly aggressive and that he was counseled for it.
Lawyers said McMaster was nicknamed “McTaser”. Lawyers said the only warning McMaster received until the video was released was because of that harsh language and the audio equipment in his car.
“The Paulding County Sheriff’s Department covered this up and didn’t do anything about it until you guys saw this video,” Williams said.
Canaris’ attorneys plan to file a civil lawsuit against McMaster and the district. They are also calling for an investigation by the Justice Department.
Canaris said the incident shaken his confidence in law enforcement.
“I always thought they were there to protect us,” Canaris said.
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