An alarming video causing outrage on the internet shows police violently apprehending and tasing entrepreneur, chef, and father of three Michael Singleton — a Black man — at Dallas Love Field Airport.
The incident took place at a Southwest Airlines gate. Singleton, 53, was preparing to jet-set back to the Oakland, California area, where he has family and partially runs his catering business. In the video, as the police apprehend him, he yells that they are accusing him of having cocaine. A cop says the business owner has “warrants.” Singleton claims that he has a warrant — but it’s for a traffic-related offense and nothing drug-related. He professed innocence regarding what the Dallas Police allegedly accused him of.
Singleton continuously repeated his name and asked bystanders to record how the cops were handling him. The police encounter escalated further when a cop tased Singleton, who was unarmed.
“Somebody tape this! I didn’t do nothing,” he yelled. “My name is Michael Singleton. I want you to please tape this. They’re arresting me for wrong reasons.”
“Oh my God! My name is Michael Singleton,” he wailed in pain after being tased, additionally sharing his birthday.
Law enforcement told Singleton that they were trying to “investigate,” but the distraught man emphasized that the cops’ behavior was unjust. While he was on the ground, a cop told Singleton to “calm down.”
“No, you said I have cocaine! I’m not a drug dealer! … F**king trying to kill me. Hey, man, I didn’t try to fight you. Why did you tase me?” he asked a cop before swearing at the Dallas Police surrounding him. “I wasn’t pulling away, they [the bystanders] got me on tape… They asked me to put my hands behind my back and couldn’t even f**king move. And I was f**king electrocuted!… I just got tased for nothing.”
What Else Is There To Know About Michael Singleton And What Happened To Him At Dallas Airport?
Singleton is a chef and the owner of Soul Hearted Catering. His business provides nutrition meal prep and catering at private and corporate levels.
When the cop tased Singleton, onlookers made audible and distressed sounds. One person seemingly sobbed in the background.
“No! Why would y’all do this? He was just standing still,” a person shouted just after Singleton hit the ground.
According to Punk Black, the Brooklyn-based musician Lizzy Ashliegh captured what happened and shared it on social media. She reportedly added the following words with the footage, for context:
“This man said he was being framed and to film. I later overheard that a lady was misheard by the officers and they went straight into action when they assumed ‘white powder was involved.’ I hope what she really said goes back to the cops that took him away.”
On April 28, a “#Unite4Mike” call to action and protest organized by The Culture Commission Coalition is happening in Dallas. The event will occur at George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, beginning at 11 a.m. Its goals are to raise awareness around confrontations like Singleton’s and empower citizens regarding their rights.
A Dallas Police Department spokesman told the Atlanta Black Star via email that “it is not our practice to comment on a social media post.” The publication detailed that police took Singleton to a downtown Dallas jail and charged him with resisting arrest. The chef’s son ended up coming to the police station with cash to pay Singleton’s outstanding balance, $500, for a speeding ticket he got years ago, which was the traffic violation he referred to in the video. Authorities reportedly dropped the resisting arrest charge.
Singleton shared that he plans to file a lawsuit.
