Man at center of Dayton police video sentenced to prison

A man at the center of a video that showed him fleeing police and being punched and Tasered by them as they attempted to handcuff him was to sentenced to 24 months in prison.

George Lail, 27, pleaded guilty to a count of felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on November 23. He was sentenced during a hearing this week by U.S. District Judge Michael Newman.

“...the court sentenced the defendant to a term of incarceration of 24 months, and three years of supervised release,” an entry in the case’s docket says.

Lail was also subjected to standard conditions, special conditions and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee.

Lail’s arrest was caught on video that was published on social media and sparked controversy. Two Dayton police officers can be seen punching and using a Taser on Lail while trying to cuff him. Lail can be seen running from the police before they caught up to him. The video led to a couple of protests downtown in front of the public safety building, and Dayton police investigated the matter.

After the investigation, Dayton police said, “Mr. Lail was asked numerous times by Dayton officers, in a professional, polite, and patient manner to exit his vehicle, but he continuously refused to do so. Mr. Lail then resisted the officers’ attempts to physically remove him from the vehicle and fled before being caught and taken into custody.”

“A Dayton Police Department supervisor conducted an administrative investigation into the incident. During the investigation, it was determined that two Dayton Officers utilized physical force to detain Mr. Lail after he attempted to elude officers by physically resisting and running from the officers,” police said. “After reviewing all aspects of the administrative investigation, it was determined the officers responded appropriately to Mr. Lail’s noncompliance and physical resistance, which allowed the officers to take Mr. Lail into custody.”

A local expert who reviewed the videos at the request of the Dayton Daily News said officers responded properly.

An email sent to the federal public defender’s office seeking comment on Lail’s behalf wasn’t responded to.

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