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Tyler Canaris allegedly took to a Georgia road early on March 4, 2022, eager to walk to work. Instead of arriving at his destination, Canaris was arrested by a Paulding County sheriff’s deputy who mistook him for a burglar.
Dashcam footage of the interaction has recently gone viral, calling into question Canaris’ arrest and subsequent obstruction charges. The sheriff’s office’s Facebook page has been inundated with critical comments and requests for correction.
Paulding County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael McMaster was responding to a call of a suspicious person breaking into vehicles in the Evans Mill subdivision in Dallas, Georgia, around 6 a.m. on March 4, according to WAGA.
According to PCSO Sgt. Ashley Henson, “when deputies responded to that area, they made contact with a person matching the description.”
Canaris is walking along the side of the road when the deputy zeroes in with his high beams and stops him.
“Let’s see your hands,” McMaster says.
Canaris, who is wearing headphones, appears perplexed. When he realizes he is being given orders, he pulls out an earbud just in time to hear the deputy demand that he keep his hands out of his pockets and remove his backpack.
“You’re being detained,” the deputy says, grabbing Canaris’ right arm and starting to remove the man’s backpack.
“What am I doing wrong, please? … Could you please explain? “Canaris inquires, noting that he is simply on his way to work.
McMaster marches Canaris over to the hood of his cruiser, indicating that he matches the description of a car burglar.
Canaris gestures to the deputy, telling him he hasn’t broken into any cars, before McMaster body-slams him against the pavement.
Later, McMaster stated, “Tyler was making movements with his hands that I couldn’t see due to the lack of sunlight; my blue/white lights were also extremely bright. Tyler tried again to loosen my grip and turn around to face me. At this point, I haven’t patted Tyler down for weapons. Tyler’s left hand moved to his waistband, out of sight. I then took control of Tyler and led him to the ground in order to better control him.”
Canaris groans in pain as he suffers from multiple brone fractures, while McMaster calls him a “dumb bastard.”
When Canaris complains about his discomfort, another deputy tells him to “shut the f*** up.”
Canaris repeats, “I was just going to work,” to which McMaster, who is rummaging through his detainee’s belongings, responds, “Act like a f***ing man.”
McMaster appears exasperated after digging through Canaris’ bag, at which point he tells Canaris to “relax,” noting to the other deputy, “He hit his head pretty good.”
Canaris was taken to the hospital with a skull and clavicle fracture. Because he had an earbud in his left ear when he fell, court documents indicated that his ear was also injured.
Canaris was eventually charged with misdemeanor obstruction of an officer. McMaster, meanwhile, reportedly returned to duty immediately.
