An Oakwood police officer resigned before he was set to be terminated Monday morning following an investigation into his use of force when a woman was injured during an arrest in September.
Timothy Holbrook was placed on paid administrative leave and an internal investigation was opened after the woman he allegedly injured submitted a complaint Oct. 7 to the police department. The former officer is now listed as “resigned in lieu of termination” and considered ineligible for rehire with the city after his actions were considered excessive and against department policy, police Chief Tim Hatch told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via phone Tuesday.
“The level of force of the exercise was determined to be against policy,” Hatch said. “He acted in a way that’s contrary to our policy and training.”
The complaint filed by Annie Lloyd was based on a chain of events that happened Sept. 24 after she called police to a Hall County tattoo parlor to report a theft and assault. Though she was admittedly intoxicated when Officer Holbrook attempted to arrest her, she said that was no reason for him to slam her to the ground, briefly knocking her unconscious.
Body camera footage shows officers ask Lloyd to “wake up” as she lies prone on the pavement following the encounter outside Phenom Ink on McEver Road.
Though Lloyd said she still feels a bit beat up and continues seeing doctors for problems with her shoulder, neck, arm and cheek, she is glad the investigation resolved as it did.
“I had to jump for joy. I texted my mom because we’ve really been praying a lot about this,” Lloyd told the AJC. “I’m definitely still wary of trusting police just for the simple fact that I never thought it would happen to me. ... I never suspected I would be body slammed and knocked out and wake up in a hospital.”
Credit: Annie Lloyd
Credit: Annie Lloyd
When officers arrived at the tattoo parlor, they were speaking first with Lloyd’s friend, who told police she went to take Lloyd’s car keys and Lloyd became “aggressive,” the body camera footage shows. But Lloyd told the AJC that her friend took her car keys in an attempt to leave the tattoo shop after Lloyd refused to drive her. She claims her friend “proceeded to slap (her) on the left side of (her) face,” which promoted the 911 call. But Lloyd said she didn’t want to press charges.
Holbrook then began threatening to arrest Lloyd after she didn’t follow his directions, the footage shows. He spent four minutes repeatedly telling her to sit next to a patrol car and about five minutes arguing with her to call an Uber before going to handcuff her and taking her to the ground, according to the footage.
“The initial threat when we got there wasn’t as significant, but what happened is she started resisting,” Hatch previously said. “And then even trying to get away because she does turn around and pull away and try to run away before the officer took her to the ground.”
Lloyd, who was charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer and public intoxication, said she did not try to resist, but instead stumbled when Holbrook reached for her.
Hatch explained that Holbrook’s decision to arrest Lloyd was justified, but admitted that Holbrook did pick up Lloyd and “put her on the ground pretty forcefully.”
“We’ve always maintained from the outset that the decision to make the arrest was not one that we questioned,” Hatch said. “An officer who is effecting an arrest and somebody pulls away from them, they do have an understanding that a greater level of force may be required. ... We felt that his decision (of the amount of force) was contrary to our policy.”
Holbrook began as a corrections officer at Arrendale State Prison in 2018 and voluntarily resigned in March 2020. In April of that year, he began working as an officer with Gainesville police, until voluntarily resigning in July 2022. Just a few days later, he began working with Oakwood police.
Holbrook is still able to work as a law enforcement officer with another department, but Hatch said his file will be updated to indicate his resignation and intended termination. The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council will have to determine if an investigation into his certification will occur, according to Hatch.
“I hope that they do a further investigation on whether he’s able to get a job at other places .... I just hope that they make the right decision,” Lloyd said. “I just think that if (Holbrook) wouldn’t have gotten caught, it could happen to someone else.”
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