LCSO Release Re: Chris Nixon Arrest

Lyon County Community,

I am positive by now that many of you have had the opportunity to view the YouTube video showing the arrest of Chris Nixon, or seen the copious amounts of angry messages posted on our page from around the Country. The video released shows the use of force used to effect the arrest of Chris Nixon. However the five minutes leading up to the arrest were conveniently left out of the publication, even though the arrestee had both videos. This was an attempt to make the Deputies application of force look excessive.

Nature of the call: Dispatch was advised by a concerned citizen, of an intoxicated male subject driving a white Toyota (actually a Honda) and provided the exact license plate of the vehicle. The caller stated the intoxicated subject drove over the sidewalk when leaving the parking lot.

A Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputy located the vehicle with the matching license plate at a local gas station. Attached is the five minute body worn camera footage of what transpired before the use of force incident. This body worn camera footage overlaps the other Deputy’s body worn camera footage showing the use of force.

Timeline from this footage:

0:25 – Deputy locates and parks behind the suspect vehicle
0:41 – Deputy attempts contact via a passenger side approach
0:43 – Deputy knocks on the passenger window
0:59 – Deputy knocks for a second time
1:02 – Deputy asks passenger to open the door
1:05 – Passenger knocks on his own window
1:29 – The suspect starts the vehicle
1:40 – Deputy Knocks on the window again
1:42 – The passenger window rolls down
2:08 – Deputy asks for the occupants identification
2:18 –Deputy asks for Identification again
2:25 – Deputy asks the occupants for their identification again, and states he will not ask again
2:31 – Passenger states he does not have identification
2:39 – The driver is asked if he has identification, to which he replies, “No”
2:43 – Deputy asks for driver’s last name to write it down
2:52 – Deputy asks for driver’s first name
2:57- Deputy asks for the driver’s first name again
3:01 – Driver asks the Deputy why he sweating them
3:03 – Deputy tries to approach the driver side, sees the narrow space between the vehicles and returns to the passenger window
3:25 – Deputy notices the open container has been hidden, and asked the occupants for identification one more time or they will be removed from the car
3:29 – Deputy repeats the request for identification or they will be removed from the car
3:36 – Driver asks the reason for they are being questioned, the Deputy explains the call for service and identifies the missing open container
3:46 – Driver is ordered to remove his hands from his pockets
3:48 – Driver is ordered a second time to remove his hands from his pockets, to which he complied
3:55 – Deputy tells the driver to turn the car off and give him the keys
4:00 – Bonds orders the driver to hand over his keys again
4:06 – Driver reaches in his pockets again and is ordered to remove them
4:10 – Driver’s hands are ordered out of his pockets for the third time
4:18 – An arriving Deputy is told to remove the driver from the car
4:24 – Deputy opens the driver’s door and goes hands on with the driver
4:35 – Deputies are at taser point with the driver, and verbally ordered out of the vehicle
4:39 – Deputy deploys his taser
4:49 – Driver starts to exit the vehicle but returns and does not get out of the vehicle
4:57 – Driver exists the vehicle and is held at taser point while the driver breaks the previously deployed taser wires
5:00 – Driver is ordered to get on the ground
5:05 – The driver asks if the Deputies are serious and pulls on the taser wires
5:07 – Deputy approaches and goes hands on
5:09 – Deputy throws the suspect to ground, verbal commands are given and a fight for the suspect’s hands ensue. The suspect is not fully handcuffed for another 42 seconds

The footage in its entirety was presented as evidence against Chris Nixon with the criminal charges of:
-Open alcohol container
-Resisting arrest

Chris Nixon plead guilty to the criminal charge of resisting arrest.

The suspect failed to comply with the first Deputy who arrived on scene, before harsh words, and force were ever used. Harsh words are not excessive; in many cases it’s the only language a certain element of society understands. The suspect chose to escalate the situation, all he had to do was comply with a legal and lawful order to produce his identification, step out of the vehicle and eventually be put through field sobriety tests.

I trust the Deputy’s decision-making, and know they legally, ethically, and appropriately responded to an individual who did not comply with lawful orders and put the community at risk by being intoxicated, and in control of a vehicle. This was aggressive law enforcement applied appropriately in our community. This was not a routine stop; it was a situation involving a potential threat to the community that required decisive action.

Respectfully,

Sheriff Brad Pope