Joshua Rohrer was arrested and charged with panhandling and resisting arrest in an incident last October. His service dog, Sunshine, was tased during that interaction. Sunshine, who was taken in by a friend, later died after being struck by a car while Rohrer was still in jail. Rohrer and his attorney had been asking the court to release the video, so the public can judge for themselves how he and his dog were treated by police. That request was granted Thursday. Rohrer maintains the officers could have handled the situation differently using de-escalation tactics instead of a Taser. He hopes the footage will encourage increased training. On Oct. 13, two officers initially responded to a call of panhandling. According to city code, it’s illegal to solicit or accept goods or money from people in cars on any city street or median. Gastonia police Officer Cierra Brooks was first on the scene. In the video, Rohrer tells Brooks he is not asking for money. She tells him she is going to write him a citation for panhandling. Officer Maurice Taylor responds as backup to Brooks. Taylor asks Rohrer for his identification and the interaction escalates to his arrest. During the arrest, Rohrer’s service dog is seen getting anxious. Sunshine jumps on the hood of the car as Taylor is asking Rohrer to call his dog off, and then Taylor tases the dog. This wasn’t the first interaction between Rohrer and the officers. Four days earlier, on Oct. 9, Rohrer was asked by police to leave this same median. A Superior Court judge granted the release of police footage from both interactions. Rohrer was emotional after the judge ruled to release the video, and he says he wants people to see that he was treated unfairly. “I hope that officers will learn to de-escalate and approach situations differently because this all could have been avoided if they would have just listened to me," Rohrer said. Earlier this month, Rohrer agreed to a plea deal to drop the panhandling and resisting arrest charges in exchange for pleading guilty to an unrelated charge for driving without a license. He also agreed to participate in a veteran’s treatment program in Catawba County. As for the officers involved, Taylor resigned in February, and Brooks is still with the department. In response to the release of the videos, the Gastonia Police Department maintains Rohrer was violating the law. "The city is pleased that the resolution of Mr. Rohrer’s charges includes his participation in Catawba County’s Veteran Treatment Court where he can receive services specifically tailored to his needs,” the department said in a statement. “The City of Gastonia Police Department’s internal review of this incident was conducted pursuant to established policy." If you would like to support the channel, feel free to donate or leave a tip: https://cash.app/%C2%A3PoliceBodycamVideos