News that former RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Tyra Sanchez, aka James Ross, had been arrested in Florida made headlines earlier this month, as he protested people had no idea what actually went down. Now, the body cam footage of the incident has been made public.
Ross had allegedly resisted arrest following police showing up to a car accident in which he claims he was rear-ended by another driver. He previously told Entertainment Weekly that he was, in fact, the one who called the police in the first place.
The newly released footage shows that when officer Jay Raulerson approached Ross’s vehicle, he admitted he was angry about what happened and wasn’t sure he was calm enough to discuss the accident.
Things escalated verbally, and Raulerson approached Ross and demanded he put his hands behind his back, which he declined to do.
“I didn’t do shit,” he said, backing away as the officer then pulled out a taser. “If you tase me, I will sue the shit out of you.”
“I don’t care,” Raulerson replied.
Ross kept repeating that he would sue if he was tased, appearing to slip up and say “shoot” at one point, after which Raulerson told him he was under arrest.
Backing away towards his car with his hands still behind his back, Ross reiterated his intent to sue as Raulerson followed. The camera appeared to be obstructed by their positions for around thirty seconds, and then the taser can be heard going off while Ross is pressed up against the car with his back to the officer.
The Drag Race alum says he was, in fact, tased, and subsequently ran from Raulerson out of fear.
On May 23, Ross filed a complaint against the officer for “excessive use of force, unlawful arrest and falsifying legal documents (police report and accident report),” and has claimed on Twitter that the charges against him were dropped. He also asserted that Raulerson had been fired, although Starke PD Supervisor of Records Sasha Shreiner told Entertainment Weekly the latter is not accurate.
“I’m thinking $10 million for all my pain, suffering and defaming,” Ross wrote of his potential lawsuit. “And an extra $5 million for these taser scars I have to see daily.”
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