LA police union calls on NBA to punish Pelicans' Jaxson Hayes for 'injuring a cop and using the N-word'
After the Los Angeles Police Department launched an excessive force investigation into the recent tasing and arrest of New Orleans Pelicans player Jaxson Hayes, the local police union has called on the NBA to suspend the 21-year-old center for allegedly injuring an officer and repeatedly using a racial slur.
Los Angeles Police Department chief Michael Moore announced last week that the department is investigating the July 27 arrest to 'assess the incident due to the possibility of force being applied to Hayes' neck.'
The Los Angeles Police Protective League has now defended the use of force in a letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, describing the incident in which Hayes allegedly prevented officers responding to a domestic abuse call from entering his girlfriend's home in Woodland Hills, California.
After the Los Angeles Police Department launched an excessive force investigation into the recent tasing and arrest of New Orleans Pelicans player Jaxson Hayes , the local police union has responded by calling on the NBA to suspend the 21-year-old center for allegedly injuring an officer and repeatedly using a racial slur
The fact the cops asked the bystander to stop recording their “arrest” of Jaxson Hayes is suspicious in its own right, them not wanting others to see the footage + straight up illegal. Also refused to give the badge number when asked. Very disturbing pic.twitter.com/KUyaUgZ5QR
— Pranav Sriraman (@PranavSriraman) August 4, 2021
The fact the cops asked the bystander to stop recording their “arrest” of Jaxson Hayes is suspicious in its own right, them not wanting others to see the footage + straight up illegal. Also refused to give the badge number when asked. Very disturbing pic.twitter.com/KUyaUgZ5QR
The LAPD has received DailyMail.com's request for police body cam footage, but has not yet provided the video. TMZ recently published other footage of the arrest — video that does not appear to have been provided by police — which shows Hayes struggling at the home's front door as two officers pile on top of him. One of the two officers is seen with a Taser
'Mr. Silver, the actions of your player were unlawful, completely unacceptable and are as clear a prima facie case of violating several of the National Basketball Association policies as we have seen,' LAPPL board of directors president Craig D. Lally wrote in a letter obtained by TMZ.
'We respectfully request that you immediately initiate a thorough investigation into Mr. Hayes' actions before, during and after the incident and to take appropriate corrective action to hold Mr. Hayes accountable.
'The video is clear,' Lally wrote. 'Your swift action in this incident is warranted.'
A spokesperson for the LAPPL provided a photograph of an officer's injured arm to DailyMail.com, purportedly showing swelling and a cut that the officer suffered during the altercation with Hayes on July 27.
Mark Baute, an attorney for Hayes, did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Hayes was booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest on July 29, and a woman declined to cooperate with the investigation into the domestic dispute call early Wednesday, a LAPD statement said.
A spokesperson for the LAPPL provided a photograph of an officer's injured arm to DailyMail.com, purportedly showing swelling and a cut that the officer suffered during the altercation with Hayes on July 27
The 6-foot-11, 220-pound Hayes was treated for unspecified injuries from the struggle before going to jail, police said. He was released on bond that day, online jail records show. An officer also was treated for an unspecified injury and then released from a hospital.
Police said officers found Hayes in the front yard of a home at about 2:50am on July 27. The officers said they needed to speak with the victim and asked Hayes to remain outside while they did.
The department said police body-worn cameras recorded Hayes repeatedly trying to get into the residence as officers blocked him and ordered him to stay outside.
The LAPD has received DailyMail.com's request for police body cam footage, but has not yet provided the video.
Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver pictured next to Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and her late husband, Tom . The LAPPL is pressuring Silver and Benson to punish Hayes
TMZ recently published other footage of the arrest — video that does not appear to have been provided by police — which shows Hayes struggling at the home's front door as two officers pile on top of him. One of the two officers is seen with a Taser.
Another bystander, who appears to have have been the person recording the incident, can be heard yelling for officers to get off Hayes and to stop using their taser.
According to the LAPPL, Hayes, who is black, repeatedly used the N-word and became violent during the arrest, resulting in an elbow injury for one officer.
Because of this, the LAPPL is accusing Hayes of violating the NBA policy on violence and hate speech.
'The human impact of his actions is obviously lost on Mr. Hayes,' read Lally's letter to Silver and Benson. 'Mr. Hayes' inability to consider how his violent tirade harmed all those involved, from his girlfriend to the other civilians at the residence to the responding officers is troubling and should be a point of reflection for Mr. Hayes.
'Once again, we find ourselves in the position of asking the NBA to take action to uphold its own values and standards. Further, we hope you send an unequivocal message that assaulting police officers will never be tolerated by the NBA. Given the severity of this incident, we sincerely hope you take decisive action in this case.'
At just 21, Hayes is considered a promising center for the New Orleans Pelicans