For the first time, we are hearing from the man at the center of a viral and violent video involving a Euclid Police Officer.
For weeks, Richard Hubbard III has denied repeated requests for interviews. But on Thursday, he broke his silence and shared his side of what happened.
The comments came after his arraignment in Euclid Traffic Court, where he appeared on charges of driving on a suspended license, not having a valid license, ignoring a traffic signal and resisting arrest.
He wore a neck brace while his attorney, Christopher McNeal, stood at his side.
“I work, I stay out of trouble, and I never thought this would happen to me,” Hubbard said.
On August 12th, he was pulled over by Euclid Police Officer Michael Amiott for a stop that deescalated fast and was caught on cell phone video by a passerby. The video went viral.
“When the officer told me to get out of the car, I got out of the car. Stepping toward me he said ‘face away.’ I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but I turned around immediately. When I turned around, I was attacked,” Hubbard said. “The only thing I did was hold my hands up to deflect the punches.”
“This is part of a pattern of conduct which is unconstitutional,” attorney Christopher McNeal said.
Hubbard’s girlfriend, Jolimar Tirado, could be seen in the video pleading. She was later charged with obstruction of justice.
She, and Hubbard, maintain that Hubbard never resisted arrest and was never given time to comply.
“I would’ve never believed that a police officer would beat on someone for no reason,” Tirado said.
Both are calling for their charges to be dropped, as Officer Amiott serves a 15-day unpaid suspension for how he handled the situation.
Hubbard’s next scheduled court appearance will be on September 21st for his pre-trial.
His attorney said they plan to file a civil suit after traffic and criminal charges are dropped.
WATCH: WKYC was at the hearing and streamed it on Facebook Live.