Opinion ID: 4470384
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Initial Call

Text: Late in the evening on July 24, 2019, Blount County sheriff’s department held a mandatory briefing that included Defendant Deputy Burns regarding suspect Dylan Tarbett, wanted for assaulting an officer. Tarbett was last known to be staying at Winchester Drive, but it was unclear whether he was still there. He allegedly possessed a .45 caliber handgun and had threatened to kill any officer who made contact with him. Burns was patrolling “Zone 4” that evening, which included Winchester Drive. Patrol officers received a radio call describing three suspicious individuals walking near Winchester Drive. Burns responded to the call and, concerned that one of the suspicious individuals might be Dylan Tarbett, drove around the area until he saw two men walking toward him on the road. As he drove past the two men, Burns says that he noticed one of them acting “fidgety” and trying to hide his face with his hands. Turning on his body camera, Burns exited his car and asked the men their names and date of birth. Travis Hickman provided his information and Edwards identified himself as “Joe Eldridge” and his date of birth as “7/87/85.” No. 19-5306 Adams, et al. v. Blount County, Tenn., et al. Page 3 Edwards snickered as he provided this information, which aroused Burns’s suspicion. Burns ordered Edwards to stand “right there” and put his hands behind his head. Burns patted down Edwards, and “as soon as [Burns’s] hand hit his pocket, [Edwards] took off.” A chase ensued, until Edwards fell and Burns caught up and tried to hold him. Burns ordered Edwards to put his hands behind his back, and Edwards responded, “I’m trying”; the two struggled and yelled with Burns repeatedly shouting, “roll over,” and Edwards responding, “I’m trying.” After several minutes, Edwards said he was having a seizure and complained of injuries. Deputy Michael Bennett then arrived as backup, ran toward the two yelling commands and, according to his deposition, said it looked like Edwards was giving Burns “a piggy back ride.” His body camera revealed that Edwards said, “I’m not running, I’m not, he’s [expletive] hitting me.” Bennett then went to find Travis Hickman. Deputy Patty arrived around the same time and after Bennett left, heard Edwards say “I had a [expletive] seizure, and you go and just [expletive] hit me in the face. It’s [expletive] up. Why are you doing this to me?” Burns told Patty that “every time I get up, he runs.” Burns handcuffed Edwards with his hands in front of him. Edwards asked Burns to call 911 to which Burns threatened him with a taser, saying “You see this? This is a taser. You do anything I tell you not to do or don’t do something I tell you, you’re gonna get lit up, you understand?” Burns again said that “every time I get up, he runs” and Edwards responded, “I try to stand up because I feel like I’m going to pass the [expletive] out.” At that point, Burns’s camera fell off his body.