Officers pummeled Tyre Nichols because he fled, a form of 'run tax,' prosecutor says
Three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols stood by his body and laughed after pummeling him in an attack caught on video
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers charged in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols stood by his body and laughed after they punched, kicked and struck him with a baton in an attack that a prosecutor says was punishment because he tried to run away.
The former officers are standing trial accused of federal civil rights violations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rogers said during opening statements Wednesday that the officers were punishing Nichols for fleeing a traffic stop. She used the term “run tax” — police slang for disciplining a subject who tries to escape.
Rogers said the force they used did not match Nichols’ actions. She warned jurors they would see videos of the beating, including some that were publicly released weeks after Nichols died.
She also said officers just stood around during the “crucial” minutes when Nichols' heart stopped, when they could have helped him.
