Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey was so proud of his deputies allowing a K-9 to maul a Black man who appeared to be complying with their orders that he posted the video on Facebook, complete with dramatic music to build tension.
But the Florida sheriff has gone silent after facing an onslaught of criticism over the video.
And the Black man mauled in the video, James Cash Corona, is now planning to file a lawsuit.
His crime? The 27-year-old had a warrant for violating probation stemming from a reckless driving with alcohol conviction.
He was also charged with resisting arrest without violence, but that allegation is not evident in the edited video posted by the sheriff’s office on June 3.
“K-9 Deputy Weimer made multiple requests for Mr. Corona to exit the vehicle from the passenger side of the vehicle. Mr. Corona refused to exit the vehicle,” states the arrest affidavit.
‘I Got Kids Out Here!’: White Man In Rural Georgia Pulls Out Gun on Black Family Stuck In a Ditch While Off-Roading
A Black family was in distress on the side of a country road in Georgia when a white man stopped his truck and approached—but instead of helping, he pulled out a gun.
The situation would strike terror in the heart of any parent, but luckily, the father kept his composure while another child filmed the ordeal.
Mom Heather Gaddy posted the video to TikTok, where it’s gaining views and sparking outrage.
Her young daughter was enjoying an off-roading adventure with her dad and two siblings in Toombs County. Considered part of Georgia’s agricultural “heartland,” the rural area has nearly 30,000 miles of back roads to explore, and the girl’s ATV got stuck in a muddy ditch alongside a road.
Her dad was using his all-terrain vehicle to pull her out when a white, older male walked toward the dad and his children — ages 8, 15, and 16 — holding a handgun in his right hand, pointed at the ground.
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“Thank goodness my children’s father kept his cool,” Gaddy wrote in the caption. “If you don’t see this as a problem, you’re part of the problem!!!”
When the dad expressed concern, telling the stranger he didn’t “appreciate” the gun and “you should have left it in the trunk,” the man then tucked it into his waistband and came closer.
“We run into the ditch. You pulled your gun out, and I got kids out here,” the shocked father told the man, who claimed he didn’t see the children and was only coming over to help. The dad called him out: “You didn’t see the kids? That’s a damn lie!”
Commenters agreed, with one person speculating, “He stopped with the intent to intimidate them.”
Another person pointed out the obvious concern: “This is sad. You see ATVs, and your first thought is to pull a gun out? Smh. Whether they were adults or kids, I would immediately ask if they needed help and not think of them as a threat.”
Georgia is an open-carry state with some of the most lenient gun laws in the U.S., allowing permitless carry of rifles, shotguns, and handguns since 2022. No background checks are needed, and residents don’t have to register firearms with the government. While the stranger didn’t break any laws, there’s no question that approaching a family with a gun is suspicious and never a good idea.
‘Wild’: Florida Woman Accused Of Running Over Ducklings, Faces 55 Years in Prison
Wild is one word to describe the internet’s response after a woman pleaded not guilty to intentionally running over ducklings.
Beverly Sasberry, 64, is accused of running over 11 baby ducks. She is facing one count of aggravated animal cruelty for each duckling. She is also charged with reckless driving.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that the incident happened on April 25.
A couple told deputies they saw a red Honda Accord purposely drive over a group of baby ducklings. The couple confronted the woman a few days later.
The woman admitted to the couple that she intentionally killed the ducks because they made a mess in her yard.
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Investigators added that Sasberry turned her car around to hit the animals multiple times.
Deputies identified the woman as Sasberry. She was also the registered owner of a red Honda Accord.
In court last Thursday, prosecutors stated that no plea deal was offered to Sasberry. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.
People on the internet were quick to point out that Sasberry had already admitted to the crime.
“Ummm, you’re on film and pretty sure the initial reports said she admitted to it and said she would do it again before she got arrested,” Desiree Lozeau commented on Facebook.
“How are you not guilty? There’s video evidence,” Kayla FrenchConnect added.
“Pleading not guilty after admitting guilt, giving a ‘reason’ for her actions AND caught on video, is wild,” Shannon Durell wrote.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the department is investigating. They also told First Coast News that “residents asked the woman to stop, but she continued.”
If convicted, Sasberry could face up to 55 years in prison. She would also be placed on the state’s new animal cruelty registry.
Sasberry’s pre-trial hearing is set for June 25.
“Deputy Weimer ordered his K-9 to be used. Mr. Corona was then taken into custody. I then placed Mr. James Cash Corona under arrest for resisting without violence and for his active warrant.”
Since the arrest, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to Atlanta Black Star’s request for the full, unedited video of the incident.
The sheriff’s office has also ignored local WESH 2, which interviewed Corona.
“I got out the car, and they released the dog on me as soon as I got out the car,” Corona told WESH 2.
“They said they were going to release the dog if I didn’t cooperate, but, actually, I didn’t understand because I was cooperating.”
Corona also told reporters he was considering legal action against the sheriff’s office.
“It was very painful. It still is very painful. The dog took a piece of my arm out,” he said.
‘We’re Not Animals’
On June 2, Sheriff Ivey bragged on the agency’s Facebook page that he was “riding shotgun” with another deputy, his preferred branding for dashcam-style videos he posts of arrests.
“You never know what the night is going to bring when we go out Riding Shotgun!!” he wrote in the description of the video posted the following day showing Corona’s arrest.
“Check out what we got into last night with West Precinct Deputy Nusl!!”
Deputies had pulled a car over after spotting Corona lying down in the passenger seat, apparently recognizing him because they referred to him by his first name.
“Step out of the car, James, with your hands up, or you’re going to get bit,” the K-9 deputy yelled as several other deputies pointed their guns at the car.
“This is your last warning. Step out of the car, or you’re gonna get dog bit. Come out to us with your hands up.”
Corona steps out of the car with his hands raised, but the deputy releases the dog anyway, and the K-9 immediately begins mauling him.
“Agh,” he cries out in pain. “I’m down! I’m down! I’m down! I’m down! Agh!”
Several deputies then pile on top of him to handcuff him as he continues screaming.
The video garnered over three million views and thousands of comments, many of which questioned why the K-9 was released as Corona stepped out of the car.
Deana Marie was furious, “Wtf….. if that’s not complying then wtf do y’all consider complying bc that man is 100% CLEARLY complying that’s crazy af.”
Because the sheriff’s office posted an edited version of the footage, it is not clear how long it took Corona to step out of the car, but the affidavit’s claim that he never exited is contradicted by the video itself.
“We’re human beings. We’re not animals,” Corona told WESH 2.
“The dog is an animal. That’s why you had to get him off my arm, because he was attacking me.”
Corona was arrested last year for committing a hit-and-run crash while under the influence resulting in the warrant.
Watch the video below.
