What Happened To Johnnie Rush?

The body camera released of Asheville Police roughing up a man.

Two Asheville Police officers may lose their jobs after body cam footage of a brutal takedown went public. A man leaving his job was harassed by the cops and he refused an order after a minor jaywalking charge.

The two white officers confronted Johnnie Rush after he was accused of numerous attempts of crossing a right-of-way without being in a crosswalk.

The two would engage in conversation with with Rush in which it elevated and the two were agitating the situation.

Chris Hickman and trainee Verino Ruggiero were the arresting officers.

Rush cussed at the officers and Ruggiero decided to place him in custody.

“All I’m trying to do is go home, man. I’m tired. I just got off of work,” Rush is heard saying to Ruggiero in the footage, recorded by Hickman’s body camera. 

“I’ve got two options: I can either arrest you or write you a ticket,” Ruggiero responds.

“It doesn’t matter, man. Do what you have got to do, besides keep harassing me, man,” Rush says.

“That’s all in your mind,” Hickman is heard saying.

That's when he took off and a brief foot chase and then the takedown.

Lucky to be alive.

When he was taken down and served a knuckle style chili with onions.

“I can’t breathe,” Rush says multiple times. 

Photos shared to the local junk food media showed his bruises and then the NAACP demanded the body cam footage.

The footage went viral and people are demanding the officers be held responsible for excessive force.

Rush was charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and traffic offenses. The charges were later dropped.

Police chief Tammy Hooper was apologetic to Rush and said their actions were terrible. The city's mayor Esther Manheimer also apologized and called upon the community to not overreact to the video.