Darnay Cockrell called authorities for help, but he was instead handcuffed and forced to the ground by responding officers. The audio and bodycam footage from the Aug. 6 incident has been released to the public, and in response, Cockrell is facing consequences.
Footage taken by a bystander shows two Mesa, Ariz. police officers trying to detain Cockrell. The 52-year-old asks officers to “just put my hands” in cuffs instead of also forcing him to the ground.
In a GoFundMe page set up by Cockrell’s neighbor, Lenair Tucker wrote, “Despite no crime having occurred, the officer persisted with these demands. Darnay refused to get on the ground due to a recent surgery and ongoing knee issues.”
The bystander and Cockrell repeatedly told the officers about Cockrell’s condition, but their pleas were ignored. The two responding officers eventually subdued Cockrell to the ground before handcuffing him.
A statement by the Mesa Police Department wrote Cockrell had a “high level of emotion, which is understandable; however, because emotions were so high, he was not following reasonable directions given to him by the officer and made comments that spiked concern for officer safety.”
Officers repeatedly told Cockrell to “calm down,” but the father was clearly in distress throughout the entire incident. Once he was seated on the ground, Cockrell repeatedly asked officers “how would you feel?!” if their child had been kidnapped.
“It makes me feel less than a person,” Cockrell said during a Zoom call with ABC15. “What do you expect the next time - for me to call the police? I won’t do that no more in my lifetime.”
The Arizona father alleged his daughter was kidnapped by her mother, Nicole Conner-Sharp, who he says is a drug addict, per the Daily Mail. According to him, Conner-Sharp came to Cockrell’s apartment to visit their daughter, but then, she took off with the child without permission.
His daughter was returned to him within the hours, but the consequences of the now-viral incident took greater affect later. In the footage, Cockrell can be seen wearing a company T-shirt. After the video was posted to Instagram, Cockrell’s job got wind of the exchange, and he was fired, according to ABC15.
So far, the GoFundMe page has collected more than $2,500. Cockrell has also filed an official complaint on the officers.