N. Carolina city asks court for all of police beating video

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina city has asked that all police body camera footage of white officer beating a black man accused of jaywalking last year be released.

The Citizen Times reports Asheville City Attorney Robin Currin filed a petition Monday with Buncombe County Superior Court requesting the release of all footage related to the August arrest of 33-year-old Johnnie Jermaine Rush. The petition cites a need for “total transparency” but notes that body camera footage is not a public document under state law.

The city argues no loss of privacy will occur because the public already has access to the footage as it was given to the Times.

Asheville police Chief Tammy Hooper says the video’s release was illegal and an investigation is needed to determine the source of the leak.