Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that the U.S. Department of Justice will review the use of force of three officers against a suspect during an incident in Mulberry, Arkansas on Sunday.
Video posted on social media showed three officers violently attempting to detain the man. The video showed one of the officers repeatedly punching the suspect with another officer kneeling the man multiple times.
“That is reprehensible conduct in which a suspect is beat in that fashion,” Hutchinson said in a news conference on Monday. “We saw a glimpse of that. It is under investigation. We don’t have all 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 they receive as certified officers.”
The DOJ confirmed the investigation to NPR.
“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 officers involved in the incident were Crawford County deputies Zack King and Levi White and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle.
NPR reported that the suspect, Randal Worcester, was released on a $15,000 bond on Monday. He was charged on multiple criminal counts, including making terroristic threats and resisting arrest.
