A local 44-year-old man is speaking out after a violent weekend altercation outside a popular nightclub that has resulted in criminal charges against him and a forthcoming formal complaint against responding law enforcement. Jermaine Garnett, widely known by his nickname ‘Horse’, is now recovering at his home following the May 2 incident at Shisha’s Night Club that quickly spiraled into conflict.
Following the confrontation, authorities have charged Garnett with two counts of aggravated assault against on-duty police officers. He made his first court appearance shortly after the incident, entered a formal not guilty plea to all charges, and was released after posting the $4,000 bail set by the judge.
Garnett’s account of the events contradicts the official narrative laid out in the criminal charges. He maintains that he complied fully with police instructions to exit the nightclub, and that the conflict only erupted once the group moved outside the venue. In his account, officers were the aggressors, using excessive physical force that left him with injuries. He claims he was pushed during the encounter, resulting in the harm he is now recovering from.
To back up his version of events, Garnett is calling on law enforcement agencies to publicly release full surveillance footage from the area surrounding the nightclub, which he insists will corroborate his claims of excessive force. Moving forward, he has confirmed plans to file an official complaint with the Professional Standards Branch, the independent body tasked with investigating misconduct allegations against police officers.