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A federal investigation has been launched into the viral video of three Arkansas law enforcement officers violently beating a suspect, Governor Asa Hutchinson said Monday.
Hutchinson announced that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division will look into the footage, which shows an officer punching suspect Randal Worcester in the head and slamming his head into cement while another officer kicks him. A third officer is seen holding him down.
“That is reprehensible conduct in which a suspect is beat in that fashion,” Hutchinson said at a press conference.
“We don’t have all of the details, and certainly that suspect had a history of concern that was legitimate for the officers, but what that response was was not consistent with the training that they receive,” the Republican governor continued.
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Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the footage of the beating “reprehensible” and “not consistent” with law enforcement training.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The three officers involved were identified as Crawford County deputies Zack King and Levi White and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle. All three have been suspended pending investigation.
The beating allegedly stemmed from an allegation that Worcester spat in a store clerk’s face and threatened them, prompting police to respond to the incident. But police say that Worcester attacked an officer before the violent arrest that was seen on video.
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An attorney representing the two sheriff’s deputies said that at one point, Worcester “became irate and viciously attacked Deputy White by grabbing him by the legs, lifting him up and body-slamming him, headfirst, on the concrete parking lot.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO BELOW
After Deputy White hit his own head on the concrete, Worcester allegedly climbed onto him and “began striking him on the back of the head and face,” attorney Russell Wood said. Deputy White reportedly suffered a concussion and continues to experience symptoms.
Worcester was booked on a slew of charges, including second-degree battery, resisting arrest, refusal to submit and possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening and second-degree assault.
Randal Worcester departs from the Crawford County Justice Center in Van Buren, Ark. on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.
(AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)
The 27-year-old suspect was released from the Crawford County Justice Center on $15,000 bond Monday.
Arkansas State Police, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and Mulberry Police Department have all confirmed that they are investigating the incident, which is part of a state effort that is separate from the federal investigation.
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A car parked outside the Kountry Xpress in Mulberry, Arkansas, where the beating incident took place.
(AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)
“The FBI and the Arkansas State Police will collect all available evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “The federal investigation is separate and independent from the ongoing state investigation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.