Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader released a statement on Saturday about an arrest made on Stateline Road at Cloudland earlier this month in which a man with massive head injuries was tased by a Chattooga County Deputy.  Atlanta news media reported on Friday of last week that the family of the man claims excessive force was used during the incident.  Sheriff Schrader says that an internal investigation into the use of force is ongoing within his department.  You can read Sheriff Schrader’s complete statement and description of the incident below:

On May 16, 2024, shortly after 7:30 p.m. Deputies were advised of a call on State Line Road in Cloudland where 911 had dispatched EMS and Fire in reference to a subject falling off of a four-wheeler. Shortly thereafter, Deputies were advised that EMS needed them to respond quickly due to an EMS worker being assaulted. Deputy Reynolds arrived on the scene first and was met by an EMS worker who stated that the individual had struck him in the face and had possibly broken his jaw.

Deputy Reynolds was directed towards the ambulance where the individual, Christopher Cunningham Jr. was. Deputy Reynolds noticed that the stretcher was located outside of the ambulance and Cunningham was inside with a family member. Deputy Reynolds and the family member were able to talk Cunningham into walking out and sitting on the stretcher. Cunningham sat on the stretcher for only about a minute before trying to get up and yelling to “Get it off me” and grabbing his ear. Cunningham continued to attempt to get up as Deputy Reynolds attempted to gain control of him but was unsuccessful. Deputy Reynolds noted that the subject appeared to be intoxicated and he could smell the alcohol coming from him. Cunningham bit Deputy Reynolds and the bite broke the skin and caused bleeding. Several other units arrived and were finally able to restrain Cunningham. Deputies used several different techniques including an electronic control device (taser) to attempt to gain the compliance of Cunningham. At one point, after the taser deployment, Cunningham stated “that sh*t don’t hurt me”. Cunningham was eventually transported to the hospital by EMS. Deputy Reynolds was treated at the ER for his injuries.

Several other people were arrested during the incident for obstructing law enforcement while performing their duty. The next morning, I was briefed on his medical condition and the possibility that he had obtained a head injury from the four-wheeler incident. I determined that we would continue the investigation and evaluate Cunningham’s condition before determining which charges to place on him.

An internal evaluation of the use of force by deputies is being conducted to ensure the deputies acted within the scope of our policies. We train to use only that amount of force which is necessary to effectuate the arrest of an individual or, where safety and protection are concerned, to bring that individual into compliance. Media outlets, that requested the report, were given a copy of the report that contained much of this information earlier yesterday (Friday).

– Sheriff Mark A. Schrader