WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2022) Three Arkansas police officers shown in a viral video striking a detained man as he was pinned down are suspended with pay while authorities investigate the incident and decide whether to charge the officers with any crimes, Arkansas State Police Director Col. Bill Bryant said on Monday.
Two Crawford County sheriff's deputies and one Mulberry police officer on Sunday repeatedly struck a man they had pinned down for detention, who authorities later transported to a local hospital for treatment. The incident, which was captured on video, prompted the state to launch a probe into the matter.
"We've assigned that investigation to what we call our Special Investigation Units, and it's going to take some time. They're out there working right now to gather the facts and the evidence, and once we get the facts and the evidence, they prepare a case file and a summary, then we'll turn it over to the prosecutor, who then will decide what the appropriate charges are," Bryant said during a press conference. "They (the officers) are on administrative leave, suspended with pay."
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also commented on the incident during the press conference, arguing that it is inconsistent with what the state teaches its certified law enforcement officers.
"First of all, that is reprehensible conduct, in which a suspect is beat in that fashion," Hutchinson said. "This is not what our law enforcement community represents. It's not the proper response, and they will be reviewed and appropriate action taken consistent with what we learn from the investigation and what its results are."
The suspect had a history of concern that was legitimate for the officers, Hutchinson said. However, their response was not consistent with the training they received as officers, Hutchinson added.
The detained man, Randall Worcester, was charged with 2nd degree battery, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening and 2nd degree assault, according to the state police.
The officers were responding to reports of a man making threats at a convenience store, the police said.
