CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill said he fired a deputy on Thursday for use of excessive force with a handgun.
According to Hill, on Wednesday evening, Deputy Nicole Pitts was taking a suspect into custody who was restrained with handcuffs behind his back.
Hill said that the suspect refused to get into a patrol car to be transported to the county jail.
He said that Pitts pulled out her gun and held it under the suspect's chin in order to get him to comply with her instructions.
According to Hill, another deputy who observed the interaction between Pitts and the suspect reported it to his supervisor. Hill said the supervisor, in turn, contacted him.
Hill said he contacted the internal affairs department, and that they investigated the incident.
He said that Pitts was placed on administrative leave without pay on Wednesday night. Hill said that he terminated her employment on Thursday afternoon.
It's the second time in less than a month that a Clayton County deputy has been fired for alleged excessive force. In mid-September, a deputy who was seen punching a man multiple times while trying to arrest him after a traffic stop was fired.