Video showing armed police officer fleeing naked homicide suspect sparks outrage
A news crew’s video shows an armed police officer being chased by a naked triple-homicide suspect in Virginia and then watching while the perpetrator chokes an innocent bystander.
The incident happened Tuesday in Pittsylvania County when the pair emerged while employees for a local news station were staging in the area.
According to NBC News, the suspect was identified as 19-year-old Matthew Bernard, who is accused of killing three members of his family.
ESPN reported the victims as the wife, child and mother-in-law of Blake Bivens, 24, a minor league pitcher in the Tamp Bay Rays organization.
Video footage shows Bernard running toward the armed officer, who retreats while futilely attempting to use what appears to be pepper spray.
Bernard then chases the officer before veering off toward a church parking lot and proceeding to choke a man attempting to enter his pickup truck.
That man was later identified as a church caretaker.
Bernard runs off again, this time down a street, where more officers are staged, before he is subdued by several police with the aid of a police dog .
Video of the incident went viral on social media, with more than 7 million views.
The police are being criticized for their method of apprehension and lack of force — especially from the black community.
“Triple homicide suspect gets to run around naked and charge at officers??? I won’t point out the obvious… Bye yall!!!!!!!!!” wrote Facebook user Warren Davis.
”A bit too light in complexion to shoot, obviously,” said Sean P. Hayes.
“If he was the same color as me, the outcome would have been 100% different!” Cassaundra Moore wrote.
”Naked white guy seen choking an old man (in front of chasing cop) after murdering 3 lives? Not even a taser??? Amazing double standard. If this guy was black, he would have a dozen holes in him by the time that dog got to him,” wrote Stephanie Fitzharris, whose Facebook profile picture is that of a white woman.
”He didn’t get shot because he was clearly unarmed it had nothing to do with race,” user Evan Gleason, who is white, responded.
On Twitter things didn’t get much better:
An armed police officer getting chased by a naked man uno, I see what you guys mean by white privilege now. https://t.co/r2a0kS3u6b
— JodieS (@J0DIESST) August 28, 2019
This is mind blowing after seeing police just chase a naked man who allegedly killed two people... in the street without using their guns
— Alexis Wainwright (@AWainwrightTV) August 28, 2019
I’m pretty sure the point is that if police can take this extraordinary action with this POS, we’re left with the exact conclusion we’ve always known. Just a little more evidence.
— James Fales (@JamesFales2) August 28, 2019
I can't believe I'm watching a naked man chase an armed police officer. This is white privilege to the extreme.
— LatteMornings ? ? (@latte_mornings) August 28, 2019
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.