Arkansas
Courtesy of Elvert Barnes (Flickr CC0)

According to officials on Monday, three law enforcement officers were removed from duty and are the subject of state and federal investigations.

A Sunday video in Crawford County, Arkansas, shows two officers punching and kneeing a suspect as they arrest him. In addition, a deputy appeared to lift the suspect’s head and slam it onto the street at one point.

The sheriff’s deputies involved in the arrest were Zack King and Levi White, and the Mulberry Police Department Officer was Thell Riddle. The officers have been in law enforcement for “a while,” according to sheriff Jimmy Damante. He said a Mulberry officer has “been in policing for a long time” and previously served with the sheriff’s department.

A man who the Arkansas State Police identified as Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, South Carolina, was assaulted by police outside a business in a video posted on social media, Damante said. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice are currently investigating the incident.

The Arkansas officers are seen assaulting the man on the ground, as one throws punches at his face, head, and body, while another kneels on the man’s side and back. Damante emphasized that the case is still under investigation, but what he saw on the video was “not representative of the Arkansas Crawford County Sheriff’s Office or any law enforcement agency in the area.” Damante also said the officers would be penalized if they were found to have violated anyone’s rights.

Senior law enforcement analysts from CNN say that the footage shows excessive force. The felony charges include resisting arrest, second-degree battery, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening, possessing a weapon, criminal trespass, and first- and second-degree assault, according to Arkansas State Police.

A bike cop from Mulberry approached a man who intimidated a gas station clerk in a nearby community. The deputy alleged that the man was cooperative from the start but tried to assault the police officers after being spotted in Mulberry, Arkansas. Because of the altercation seen in the video, Damante said the sheriff believes Worcester handed over the weapon before the scuffle began.

David Powell, one of Worcester’s lawyers, said his client was assaulted on his face, had his eye gouged, got scrapes on his knees, got scratched, and got a swollen ear during his altercation with the law enforcement officers. As he was being led away from the detention center, Powell said he was given bail of $15,000.

The Incident Doesn’t Make Sense

Despite having seen the video, two CNN senior law enforcement analysts believe there are still unanswered questions about what happened before and after the incident.

Arkansas
Courtesy of m01229 (Flickr CC0)

Even if Worcester is alleged to have assaulted the officers, the level of force they used seems excessive, they say. “Especially the blows to the face and head,” said former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. “At one point in time, you can see one of the officers pushing down on the person’s head and pushing it down into the pavement. The level of force is obviously increased a lot.”

He also said it could increase the risk of severe injury or death. Ramsey added, “It doesn’t make sense for someone to be hit in the face while you’re trying to get them to put their hands behind their back. You will lift your hands to protect your face. It doesn’t make sense.”

McCabe noted that this video only shows a portion of the altercation between this arrestee and the three officers. Officers maintain that they were attacked, punched in the head, and pushed to the ground before the video. However, it is challenging to argue that what you see – punches and kneeing the individual in the back and slamming his head on the ground – is not a reasonable police force. It is not standard police procedure in any circumstance, McCabe said. He added that there are three officers on a single suspect, and the police do not appear to be using any accepted handcuffing tactics.

Police do not have the right to respond with excessive, unbalanced, and unreasonable force if assaulted, but the Arkansas cops’ reactions appear disproportional and unjustified. It is not acceptable to use extreme pressure when apprehending an individual, even if attacked, the former police chief said.

Arkansas State Police Investigates the Incident

Someone posted the video on social media and said her sister saw the incident outside the Kountry Xpress in Mulberry. As a result, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Arkansas State Police investigate the incident, and the deputies have been suspended. In addition, the Mulberry police officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The City of Mulberry and the Mulberry Police Department take these investigations seriously and expect all of their officers to conduct themselves appropriately.

According to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the officer’s conduct was “reprehensible” because a suspect was beaten up in that manner. While the video provides a “glimpse” of the event, he said it gives only a tiny fraction of the picture. Although he recognized that Worcester had a legitimate concern about the officers’ actions, he said they were not consistent with the curriculum. In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are conducting their investigation. “This is not what our law enforcement community represents. It’s not the appropriate approach; it will be investigated, and appropriate action will be taken. It’s not what our law enforcement community represents,” he said.

Written by Janet Grace Ortigas

Sources:

CNN: 2 Arkansas deputies suspended and 1 officer on administrative leave after video posted of violent encounter with man outside store; by Eliott C. McLaughlin, Andy Rose and Hannah Sarisoh
The Washington Post: Arkansas officers suspended after video shows beating during arrest; by Bryan Pietsch
BBC: Arkansas: Three officers suspended after video shows beating; by Alex Binley

Featured and Top Image Courtesy Elvert Barnes’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of m01229‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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