Powerball winner tackled and tased after kicking Florida deputy in the face
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Florida police just gave a man 167 million reasons why he should not have attacked them.
Body-cam footage shows the winner of a $167.3-million Powerball jackpot getting tackled and Tased after kicking a deputy in the head.
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Powerball winner tackled and tased after kicking Florida deputy in the face Back to video
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James Farthing, 50, of Georgetown, Ky., was arrested in St. Pete Beach after police were called to the TradeWinds Resort for reports that a man punched a hotel guest in the face, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WLFA.
The newly released video of the April incident shows a deputy rushing to separate the two men, restraining one.
Farthing allegedly tries to kick the man being held back, only to kick the deputy in the face instead, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.
“Are you kidding me?!” the deputy shouts in the video as hotel staff rush in to help the officer.
“I just got kicked,” the stunned deputy could be heard radioing as security guards yelled at Farthing to stand down.
The officer then confronts Farthing, ordering him to surrender.
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“Put your hands behind your back right f—ing now. Put your hands behind your back and get against the f—king wall,” the deputy repeats, shoving Farthing to the wall.
Farthing tries to flee, prompting the deputy to fire his Taser and another officer to tackle the suspect to the ground, according to the allegations.
“I’m sorry man, please,” Farthing could be heard saying as the officers handcuffed him.
“Save your f—king sorries for later,” the deputy shouted back.
The video from the April 29 incident came a day after he collected his winnings from Kentucky Lottery.
He opted to split the jackpot with his mother as an early Mother’s Day gift, it was previously reported.
Following his arrest, the Smoking Gun reported Farthing’s lengthy criminal record and that he has been labelled a “persistant felony offender” with multiple convictions across nine counties in Kentucky and locked up in at least 25 correctional facilities, spending “in aggregate, nearly 30 years in custody.”
This time, Farthing was charged with resisting an officer without violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, battery, and parole violation.
His 42-year-old girlfriend, Jacqueline Fightmaster, was charged with disorderly intoxication, according to WFLA.
Farthing has pleaded not guilty to the alleged crimes.
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