Brandon Calloway had traveled halfway across Tennessee, along with his girlfriend and her friend, to stay with his dad for a night when he decided to pick up a DoorDash order so he could treat his girlfriend to a nice dinner while in town.
But while returning from the delivery, Calloway, who is Black, allegedly ran a stop sign and was followed by police. The officers chased him into his father’s house, beat him with a baton and shocked him with a Taser.
Calloway, 25, is now suffering from multiple injuries to his head, left eye, temple and arm after the bloody attack that one of the women in the house caught on video.
He’s also experiencing memory loss and “severe psychological trauma,” Calloway’s father, Edward Calloway, told NBC News Friday.
Edward Calloway described Brandon as a “great son.”
“We’re very proud of the man he’s grown into,” he said. “He’s just been a smart very obedient kid with a lot of ambition from an early age.”
When asked how often his son comes to visit, Edward Calloway laughed, and said “not often enough.” The recent college graduate only makes the four-and-a-half hour trip about twice a year.
Brandon played baseball from the time he was 3 years old, through high school, where he also excelled academically, his father said. He was a National Honor Society member with a passion for engineering.
Last year, he got his engineering degree from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Since then, he’s been looking for entrepreneurial opportunities “before he gets locked down into a 9-5, so to speak,” Edward Calloway said. He’s became a certified notary public, has been DJing and from time-to-time, picks up a DoorDash route.
Brandon Calloway had only been in Oakland for about an hour, after traveling from Chattanooga, when he decided to go on one of those routes, his dad said.
Calloway was driving a gray Chevrolet Camaro when he allegedly ran a stop sign, according to a police affidavit.
While Oakland police pursued him, Calloway “sped away,” driving 32 mph in a 20 mph zone, the affidavit said. When he did not stop, officers activated their lights, according to the document. It’s unclear if Calloway initially knew he was being followed by police, or if there was any way he would have known. The affidavit does not say if the car was marked
The officers followed Calloway to his father’s home, where he stopped the vehicle and ran inside.
“This is my … house and I did stop for the sign,” Calloway yelled as he ran, using an expletive, according to police.
The video of the incident begins when the two officers follow Calloway into the home. One officer is swinging a baton, while another has a gun drawn, the video shows.
A woman inside the home can be heard screaming: “Stop, stop, Brandon, Brandon, stop! Stop hitting him!”
The officers chased Calloway upstairs into a den and begin to shock him with a Taser.
“Why are you chasing and hitting him?” the woman asks. “He has no weapons.” A woman can also be heard saying: “I need to call my mom. I need to call his mom.”
After a third law enforcement officer arrives, all three try to detain Calloway in a room. When he exits the room, his face is bloodied.
Photos sent to NBC News by Calloway’s attorney Andre Wharton shows Calloway later lying handcuffed on pavement with blood covering his face and neck. An officer seems to be repositioning Calloway in two pictures and standing over him in a third.
Calloway was charged with evading arrest, resisting, disorderly conduct, failing to stop at a stop sign and speeding.
The affidavit identified two officers involved as D. Jackson and Officer Richardson. It’s unclear if the third officer, who arrived on scene later, is also with the Oakland Police Department.
Oakland Police Chief Chris Earl did not respond to questions about the statuses of the officers Friday. On Thursday, he responded to a request for comment by saying the incident is under investigation.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has opened a probe into the arrest at the request of 25th Judicial District Attorney General Mark Davidson. A spokesperson for the TBI said on Friday that they would not release information on an ongoing investigation.
In a statement, Wharton said “the tactics and force used by Oakland Tennessee Police and any assisting officers was far outside the bounds of what is considered reasonable.”
Wharton noted that Calloway is 5’3 and just about 110 pounds, which is also detailed in the police affidavit.
“We remain hopeful that we will soon begin discussions with the Town of Oakland about what happened and their and others’ accountability for this extreme abuse of power,’ Wharton said. “For now, we stand with Brandon as he and his family begin to heal from this horrific tragedy.”
