Police Officers of Arkansas were suspended with pay after a video showed them assaulting a guy
Three Mulberry police officers can be seen on video from Sunday’s arrest outside a convenience store, prompting the Arkansas State Police and federal officials to launch an investigation on Monday.
On Monday, Col. Bill Bryant announced the paid suspension of two deputies and an officer. Officer Thell Riddle of the Mulberry Police Department, Deputy Zack King of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and Deputy Levi White were named by the sheriff’s office.
The short video was extensively circulated on social media and shows the three officers repeatedly kneeing and striking a man while he is pinned to the ground. A bystander yells out to them, and an officer eventually points at the camera and orders the guy to cease recording.
According to authorities, police arrived after receiving a report of a man who had allegedly made threats. The suspect was detained on many charges, sent to the hospital, and then freed after posting bail.
The state police announced on Sunday that they will be conducting an investigation into the use of force. Arkansas state police are looking into the event as a “as a criminal act.” Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said during a press conference on Monday.
During a press conference on Monday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson addressed the video, calling the actions seen in it “reprehensible conduct.”
“That response was not consistent with the training that they receive,” he said. “This is not what our law enforcement community represents. It’s not the proper response.”