Officers pummeled Tyre Nichols because he fled, a form of ‘run tax,’ prosecutor says

Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols stood by his body and laughed after pummeling him in an attack caught on video. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rogers painted the January 2023 scene during opening statements Wednesday at the former officers’ federal trial. She says the officers punished Nichols for fleeing a traffic stop, calling the punishment a “run tax.” Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived the 29-year-old of his civil rights and obstructed justice. Two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges and are expected to testify.