A man charged with possession of a gun and ammunition was shot twice with a Taser and pinned down by officers as he was being arrested, according to police bodycam footage.

The Supreme Court heard that officers found a folding knife and a bag containing cannabis in his possession at the scene, but discovered the firearm only after he arrived at Hamilton Police Station.

In addition to possessing a loaded firearm, Jomari Gooden has denied allegations that he assaulted a police officer and resisted arrest in September last year.

As the trial continued yesterday, the jury was shown bodycam footage recorded in the early hours of September 23, 2023.

Mr Gooden, who was wearing dark clothing and a black motorcycle helmet at the time, was spotted by patrol police running across Middle Road and jumping over a wall.

After a short chase, Mr Gooden was eventually captured in the backyard of a house on Middle Road near the junction of Wreck Road.

As Pc Rajiv Bailey arrived at the scene, Mr Gooden could be seen in the footage crouched on the ground, supporting himself on his knees and forearms. He had just been shot with a Taser by an officer who could be seen standing over him.

Pc Bailey could then be heard saying: “Stay down. Do not move. Let me see your hands. Put your hands out.”

Pc Bailey confirmed to the court that Mr Gooden was then shot with a Taser a second time.

The footage then showed Pc Bailey and two other officers trying to force Mr Gooden’s hands behind his back.

Mr Gooden was recorded telling the officers they were “trying to kill” him, later adding: “You keep Tasering me.”

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Marc Daniels, Pc Bailey agreed that after being shot with a Taser a person can suffer “neuromuscular incapacitation”, during which muscles cannot function.

Pc Bailey also agreed that it may have been difficult for Mr Gooden to put his hands behind his back because of his position — with his weight on his forearms and his hands in front of him.

The officer also agreed with Mr Daniels that at the time of the arrest, he did not know the state of Mr Gooden’s mental health or whether he was intoxicated or on drugs.

Pc Daniel Sanna told the court that during the chase, Mr Gooden had thrown an unidentified object at him, although the alleged projectile was never recovered.

Pc Sanna confirmed that he was one of the three officers seen in the footage trying to restrain Mr Gooden.

At one point, Mr Daniels stated: “It’s fair to say that you pushed his head right down on to the ground.”

Pc Sanna replied: “I didn’t push. I was just trying to contain him.”

The officer also accepted that he did at one point stand on Mr Gooden’s arm, but said it was a mistake.

In a statement read to the court, Pc Tashun Simons said that he had used a Taser at Mr Gooden during the chase as the defendant ran towards him.

He said that the officers struggled for several minutes to subdue Mr Gooden before he could be handcuffed.

Pc Simons said that he and another officer, Pc Shandara Burrows, searched Mr Gooden and discovered a plastic bag containing plant like material and a black folding knife.

The officer said that while he could see Mr Gooden had a pair of grey shorts on under his trousers, he chose not to do a further search because he did not feel it was appropriate in the location.

Pc Simons said that after Mr Gooden was handcuffed, he noticed blood coming from the defendant’s mouth and called for paramedics, who later attended the scene and confirmed that he did not need urgent medical attention.

His testimony said that he sat next to the defendant on the drive back to Hamilton Police Station and, once Mr Gooden was taken to the custody area, Pc Simons decided to conduct a full search.

“He was complaining of injuries and I wanted to release him from handcuffs as soon as possible,” Pc Simons said.

During the search, he said he noticed a “hard metal object” in Mr Gooden’s groin area near the front of his boxer shorts.

“As I removed it I saw that it was a black gun and I had the muzzle part, which was pointing up towards me,” he said.

A firearms expert confirmed that the weapon was a functional semiautomatic 9mm Glock, which was loaded with nine rounds of ammunition.

Pc Burrows told the court that after chasing the suspect, she found him face-down on the ground with his hands beneath him, after Pc Simons discharged a Taser at him.

She told the court that she urged Mr Gooden to give them his hands so he could be handcuffed, but they were only able to do so after a struggle.

Pc Burrows said she also noticed that Mr Gooden had an object in his mouth, which she removed and discovered was a diamond ring.

She told the court that at the scene of the arrest, Mr Gooden did not stand or sit straight, instead standing with a slouch and sitting with his head by his legs.

Pc Burrows said Mr Gooden was still slouched over when he arrived at Hamilton Police Station, but after the firearm was discovered she said CCTV footage showed him walking upright.

“He is walking straight up,” she said. “He isn’t slouched over.”

The trial continues.

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