A cop left in hospital after being pistol-whipped in the head with his own weapon during a traffic stop in Alabama said he was afraid to use force in case of a backlash against him.
Speaking anonymously, the officer, who has been a cop for six years, said he hesitated to pull his weapon on the unarmed black suspect in case he was vilified in the wake of the Ferguson shooting.
The suspect, Janard Cunningham, 34, is now in jail accused of attacking the officer after becoming aggressive during a routine traffic stop in Roebuck, Birmingham, last week.