Tyler Peake is a Taylor, Michigan, police officer who was criminally charged after a 2020 arrest in which prosecutors accused him of punching Brendon Morgan through an open car window while holding a handgun and then striking Morgan again after other officers pulled him from the vehicle. Peake was charged in 2021 with misconduct in office and assault and battery. The encounter was captured on police body-camera and vehicle-camera footage and became part of broader scrutiny of the Taylor Police Department. In December 2023, a jury found Peake not guilty on all criminal charges.
Brendon Morgan Traffic Stop
The Encounter Happened On April 1, 2020. Taylor police responded at approximately 1:43 a.m. after a woman reported an alleged domestic disturbance involving Brendon Morgan, her boyfriend. She told dispatchers Morgan had driven away from her home toward a Marathon gas station. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Seven Officers In Three Police Vehicles Responded. Officers located Morgan driving toward the Marathon station in the 8350 block of Telegraph Road and activated their lights and sirens as he pulled into the gas station. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
The Encounter Was Recorded By Multiple Cameras. Officers were wearing body cameras, and police vehicles also had cameras that captured the stop and arrest. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Tyler Peake Accused Of Punching Morgan
Prosecutors Said Peake Approached Morgan With His Handgun Drawn. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Peake walked toward Morgan’s vehicle, pointed his handgun at him and repeatedly ordered him to stop the car and get out. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Morgan Rolled Down His Window And Raised His Hands. Prosecutors said Morgan made both hands visible while Peake stood outside the vehicle. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Peake Was Accused Of Punching Morgan Through The Open Window. Prosecutors alleged Peake struck Morgan in the face with his right hand while holding his handgun in his left. They said approximately 10 seconds passed between Peake approaching the vehicle and the punch. [Wayne County Prosecutor] [WXYZ]
Prosecutors Said Peake Struck Morgan Again After He Was Removed From The Car. The charging announcement alleged Peake hit Morgan multiple times while Morgan was on the ground after other officers forcibly removed him from the vehicle. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
“Welcome To Taylor” Bodycam Video
Bodycam Footage Showed Multiple Officers Surrounding Morgan. Video released publicly showed officers pulling Morgan from the vehicle and taking him to the ground. [ClickOnDetroit] [FOX 2 Detroit]
An Officer Was Recorded Saying “Welcome To Taylor.” After Morgan was on the ground, one officer could be heard making the remark and telling him he should not “play with the police.” [FOX 2 Detroit] [ACLU of Michigan]
Morgan Said Officers Hit And Tased Him. Video showed Morgan complaining that he had been hit in the head repeatedly while officers restrained him. [FOX 2 Detroit]
Charges Against Brendon Morgan Dismissed
Morgan Initially Faced Four Criminal Charges. Prosecutors charged him with resisting and obstructing police, fourth-degree fleeing police, malicious destruction of a building and misdemeanor domestic violence. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
The Domestic-Violence And Property-Damage Charges Were Dismissed. The complaining witness did not appear for Morgan’s July 2020 preliminary examination, resulting in dismissal of those two counts. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
A Judge Also Dismissed The Remaining Police-Related Charges. The judge found insufficient evidence to bind Morgan over for trial on resisting and obstructing and fleeing police. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
The Case Was Then Referred For Investigation Of Peake’s Conduct. After Morgan’s charges were dismissed, the file was sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Public Integrity Unit and then to Michigan State Police. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Tyler Peake Criminal Charges
Peake Was Charged In August 2021. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced charges against the then-23-year-old officer following the Michigan State Police investigation. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Peake Was Charged With Misconduct In Office. The common-law felony carried a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
He Was Also Charged With Assault And Battery. The second count was a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Peake Pleaded Not Guilty. He was arraigned in August 2021 and denied the criminal allegations. [ClickOnDetroit]
Peake Was Released On A Personal Bond. The judge ordered him to have no contact with Morgan and suspended his concealed-pistol license while the case was pending. [Wayne County Prosecutor]
Taylor Police Suspends Peake
Peake Was Placed On Unpaid Administrative Leave After He Was Charged. Taylor Police Chief John Blair announced the suspension pending resolution of the criminal case. [ClickOnDetroit]
Brendon Morgan Civil Rights Lawsuit
Morgan Sued Peake, The City Of Taylor And Other Officers. He filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit in February 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. [Federal Court Docket]
The Lawsuit Named Multiple Officers Involved In The Arrest. Defendants included Peake, the City of Taylor and several other Taylor police officers. [Federal Court Docket]
Morgan Alleged His Civil Rights Were Violated During The Arrest. The lawsuit was brought under federal civil-rights law and demanded a jury trial. [Federal Court Docket]
ACLU Calls For Federal Investigation Of Taylor Police
The ACLU Of Michigan Cited Morgan’s Arrest In A Broader Complaint Against The Taylor Police Department. In October 2021, the organization asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate what it characterized as a pattern of excessive force and discriminatory policing. [ACLU of Michigan]
The ACLU Highlighted The Video Of Morgan’s Arrest. Its complaint cited the officers surrounding, striking and tasing Morgan and the “Welcome to Taylor” remark as one example supporting its request for federal scrutiny. [ACLU of Michigan]
Tyler Peake Acquitted
Peake Went To Trial In 2023. His misconduct-in-office and assault-and-battery charges were ultimately presented to a jury more than two years after he was first charged. [National Center for Police Defense]
The Jury Found Peake Not Guilty On All Charges. The National Center for Police Defense, which supported Peake during the prosecution, announced on December 6, 2023, that jurors acquitted him of both misconduct in office and assault and battery after a two-day trial. [National Center for Police Defense]
Peake Was Therefore Not Convicted Of A Crime In Connection With Morgan’s Arrest. The 2023 verdict ended the criminal prosecution with acquittals on both counts. [National Center for Police Defense]
Peake And Taylor Police After The Acquittal
City Records Show A 2025 Police-Department Payment To Tyler Peake. An April 2025 City of Taylor paid-invoice report lists a $175 reimbursement to Tyler Peake for an FAA Part 107 drone-pilot license test, with the expenditure assigned to the Police Department. [City of Taylor]
City Records Also Show A 2024 Payment To Peake. A June 2024 municipal invoice report lists Tyler Peake as a payee for a Police Department-related training expense, providing additional evidence of his renewed association with city police operations after the criminal case. [City of Taylor]
Relevant YouTube Videos
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.