Cop Beats Homeless Man Bloody,Cop Turned Off Body Cam

Parramore, Florida – The State Attorney’s Office this week released officer body-cam footage of a confrontation that turned physical between a 44-year-old homeless man and an Orlando police officer.

Officer James M. Wilson’s more than 3-minute video shows the Aug. 26 arrest of Terre Johnson on Ossie Street in Parramore before it became physical and the officer’s body cam shut off.

Previously released footage taken by a bystander and posted to YouTube shows Wilson wrestling with Johnson. Wilson is on top while Johnson tries to hit the officer, the video showed.

In the body-cam video, Wilson approaches a group of people, including Johnson, who were sitting on the curb and standing in the street.

He tells Johnson that he is on city-owned property and his feet are in the street. The two banter back and forth for a few minutes before Wilson comes closer to the homeless man. Johnson says to Wilson several times to “get out my face.” He then tells Wilson to look up his background.

“It’s gonna tell you to approach with caution and get some [expletive] backup because I love beating up cops,” Johnson said, according to the video.

The video then shows Johnson getting up to walk away, and turning back toward Wilson with his fists balled up. Wilson then takes Johnson to the ground. He tells Johnson to “stop resisting” before the video cuts out because the cord disconnected, according to an Orlando Police spokeswoman.

According to his arrest affidavit, Johnson assaulted Wilson first.

“Officer Wilson responded to Johnson’s resistance and overcame it,” the report said.

OPD also released a written statement that said Johnson hit Wilson first and “continued to hit the cop.”

Wilson suffered “significant injuries and great bodily harm to his mouth, and right eye as well as numerous cuts on his hands and knees.”

Johnson also suffered injuries. In his arrest photo, his head is bandaged and has some blood on it. His blood got on Wilson. Johnson told police he is HIV positive and has hepatitis.

In a statement, Orlando police said the incident is undergoing an internal affairs investigation.

“OPD takes any encounter between our law enforcement officers and our citizens involving the response to resistance seriously,” the statement read. “We are committed to transparency within the police department.”

Police declined to go into further details about the case involving Wilson, who has been with OPD since 2012.

Johnson is charged with battery on a law-enforcement officer. He was released from the Orange County Jail on his own recognizance last week, records show.

This is not the first time he has been accused of assaulting a law-enforcement officer. He pleaded no-contest last year to resisting officer with violence and battery on a law-enforcement officer.

Chelsea Simmons, his court-appointed attorney, declined comment.