Alabama band teacher tasered after refusing to wrap up post-game performance video
A Birmingham high school band director was tased and criminally charged after he refused to wrap up his band's post-game performance on September 14, police say.
High school band director Johnny Mims is calling on his students to forgive police officers and not "hold a grudge" against them after he was tasered at a high school football game.
"My biggest prayer is, first of all, that these students will not hold a grudge. That they would be able to overcome this. That they would, one day, be able to move forward and continue to be the great people that they are," Mims, a band director at Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham, Alabama, said on Good Morning America Wednesday.
Mims has also called for the Birmingham Police Department to drop charges against him for "disorderly conduct" and to apologize to him and to his students.
Minor High School band director Johnny Mims was charged with disorderly conduct, physical harassment and resisting arrest. (Birmingham Police Department)
"During the officers' interaction with Minor's band director, the decision was made to place him in custody," a statement from the Birmingham Police Department read. "BPD officers attempted to take the band director into custody for Disorderly Conduct when a physical altercation ensued between the band director, Birmingham City Schools System Security personnel, and BPD officers."
Mims was charged with disorderly conduct, physical harassment and resisting arrest after an argument with police officers. The incident took place after Thursday's game between Minor High School and P.D. Jackson-Olin High School.
The Minor High School band was playing in the stands during the "fifth quarter," which is a tradition for some marching bands. Bodycam footage from the Birmingham Police Department shows officers approaching the band 18 minutes after the game ended.
Police arrested Johnny Mims, a music director at Minor High School, following a football game Thursday. (Birmingham Police Department)
The band was still loudly playing and cheering when police came over and asked them to wrap up. "It's time to go," an officer was heard saying to a band instructor. "Y'all got to go and come down."
Officers then turned to their attention to Mims, who told them to "get out of [his] face" multiple times.
Chaos ensued when the field lights were turned off, prompting students to scream. After the band finally stopped playing, police attempted to arrest Mims. An officer accused the band director at swinging at another cop, which Mims disputed.
The Birmingham Police Department did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
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