ORLANDO, Fla. — An officer with the Orlando Police Department has found himself at the center of an investigation after a man claimed the officer cocked a gun and threatened him during an arrest.
Taurus Bryant said the incident happened on Aug.25 while he was driving in the area of South Kirkman Road and Raleigh Street.
"I'm going to my brother's house," said Bryant. "They followed me for like two miles. No lights on, they just followed."
Bryant, who is a convicted felon, told Channel 9 he believed the cars behind him were likely law enforcement, but wasn't entirely sure. He said he nervously turned into a neighborhood where he then parked car. Police believe Bryant was in a stolen vehicle.
"I saw some mixed couples in the neighborhood, so I ran toward them," Bryant told Channel 9. "By this time the officer is telling me to stop and I wasn't stopping until I got to a safety point."
According to the police report, officer Ivan Sumyang fired a Taser, but Bryant didn't go down. Sumyang wrote in the report that after firing the Taser twice, Bryant was subdued.
Bryant said that while he was on the ground in cuffs, the officer drew his weapon.
"That's when (he) took the gun out of the holster, put it to the back of my neck and he cocked it," said Bryant. "Like, 'If you move, that'll be the last thing you'll see.'"
Orlando police are not commenting on any of Bryant's allegations, but did say the officer's justification for use of force was rejected during a review of the incident. An internal investigation has since been launched.
Bryant told Channel 9 he thought he was going to die during the incident.
"My mind, the regrets I had, the things I didn't get to do, I'm not going to marry my girl," said Bryant. "This is going to be it. I can't tell my mama goodbye."
OPD has not indicated whether the officer has been in any trouble while on the job before.
Bryant told Channel 9 that he served time in the past for fleeing from police.