Emmitt Martin III testified he wrongfully told his colleagues that the 29-year-old was a violent offender before they pulled him over and beat him.

Police officers violated protocol when they used excessive force against Tyre Nichols and overstated his actions, a former officer who has pleaded guilty in the case testified.

Emmitt Martin III, who initiated the traffic stop against Nichols, said in federal court Monday that Nichols never posed a threat and that officers downplayed their own actions during the Jan. 7, 2023 encounter, which led to Nichols’ brutal beating and subsequent death.

Martin testified he was angry that night because he hadn’t yet made an arrest, but then he noticed Nichols driving a little fast as a traffic light was turning red and saw him changing lanes without signaling.