Tommy Yancy: Veteran Pulled Over For Routine Traffic Stop, Beaten To Death By Cops As He Pleaded For Ambulance

Tommy Yancy was driving on Mother’s Day when a California Highway Patrol officer pulled him over for a routine stop, but the incident ended with the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran pleading for an ambulance as officers beat him to death.

The full details of the incident are just starting to emerge, and at the time it registered little more than a blip in local media and nothing in national media radar. A local newspaper, the Imperial Valley Press, wrote a short piece about the man’s family raising money, noting:

“The 32-year-old Yancy died following an altercation with law enforcement during a traffic stop May 11 in Imperial. The circumstances around the death and the traffic stop are still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.”

But over the weekend more details emerged about the death of Tommy Yancy. A video posted to YouTube showed the incident, and while the footage was difficult to see, there was more information posted to the video’s description.

The video noted that Tommy Yancy is a father of two who served in the 259th Field Service Unit in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and returned suffering from PTSD.

Friends and family described Yancy as a loving father and jokester, one who kept in touch with his friends every week.

The section also shed light on the incident itself, claiming that Yancy was pulled from his car and beaten by five officers during the stop. Witnesses said Yancy could be heard screaming: “How long before you guys call an ambulance? Call an ambulance!”

The description adds:

Officers claim Yancy swung at an officer and attacked the K-9, however, near the end of the video, posted to YouTube on May 12 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoqvX…), police are seen attempting to revive Yancy while a witness states, “All of this for one guy who wasn’t even resisting arrest,”. The officer is said to have received no serious injuries.

Another witness said that Tommy Yancy was “mad” and “uncooperative” during the traffic stop, but that police went too far in their beating. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.