TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) — The man at the center of a viral Tifton arrest video is speaking publicly for the first time, saying he believes officers used excessive force during his arrest and that he continues to deal with physical pain one week later.

James Milton Lewis Jr. sat down exclusively with WALB after cellphone video of his arrest spread across social media, sparking community discussion and an ongoing investigation by the Tifton Police Department.

Lewis acknowledged he made mistakes that night.

“I had marijuana in my pocket,” Lewis told WALB. “I got scared... I ran.”

According to Lewis, officers responded after his mother-in-law called police over what he described as a verbal argument between him and his girlfriend.

“It wasn’t domestic,” Lewis said. “It was verbal.”

Lewis said officers asked for his name, told him he had outstanding warrants and attempted to detain him before he ran.

“He hit me in the back with a Taser,” Lewis said. “Then I tried to run again and that’s when I fell.”

Lewis said he remembers little after falling until he later watched the cellphone video.

“I didn’t remember nothing else until I seen the video,” he said. “I just asked, ‘Why they did me like that?’”

Lewis alleges officers repeatedly tased and punched him after he was already on the ground.

“They tased me... at least about eight times,” Lewis claimed. “I wasn’t resisting.”

Tifton Police have declined to comment on the allegations, citing the department’s ongoing investigation.

Lewis also claims he suffered significant injuries during the arrest and was booked into jail before receiving medical care.

“I’m still sore,” he said. “If I laugh, it hurts.”

Another cellphone video recorded at the scene appears to show officers detaining Lewis’s elderly mother-in-law, who uses a walker.

“I don’t like how they did her,” Lewis said.

Father says watching video was heartbreaking

Lewis’s father, James Milton Sr., said watching the video of his son’s arrest left him emotional.

“I began crying first because it hurt me to see that happening to him,” Milton said.

Milton told WALB he believes officers used unnecessary force and said he has filed complaints with the Tifton Police Department’s Internal Affairs division, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Tift Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, hoping the incident receives a full review.

“I filed a report... so it can’t be swept under the rug,” he said. “Somebody needs to be held accountable.”

He said seeing his son’s injuries after the arrest was difficult.

“I’m glad he’s still living,” Milton said. “A lot of them don’t get up from that.”

Milton also said he plans to help his son obtain an attorney as the investigation continues.

Investigation ongoing

Lewis said that while he regrets running from officers, he believes the force used after he was on the ground was excessive.

“I should have just walked away,” he said.

The Tifton Police Department previously confirmed it is investigating the arrest but declined to answer additional questions from WALB, citing the active investigation.

WALB has requested the arrest report, body camera footage, dispatch records and any use-of-force documentation related to the incident. Those requests remain pending.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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