Three Ark. Officers Suspended Over Video of Alleged Beating
Three Arkansas Police officers are facing state and federal investigations after a video from a bystander captured the officers apparently beating a suspect during an arrest. The state police hasn't disclosed the officers' names, but all three have been taken off duty.
Facts
- Three Arkansas Police officers are facing state and federal investigations after a video from a bystander captured the officers apparently beating a suspect during an arrest. The state police hasn't disclosed the officers' names, but all three have been taken off duty.
- Randall Worcester of Goose Creek, S.C., has been identified as the suspect. Police say they confronted Worcester after he reportedly spit in the face of a store clerk and made threats. Worcester allegedly pushed a deputy to the ground and punched him in the back of the head, sparking the arrest.
- Worcester was taken to an area hospital, where he was examined and treated before being released into police custody.
- He was jailed on several charges including second-degree battery, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, and possessing an instrument of crime, among others. The suspect has since been released on $15k bail.
- The video, which features officers apparently punching, kneeing, and holding down Worcester, initially accumulated 8k views on TikTok but exceeded 10M views after it was shared on Twitter.
- Also in the video, an unseen woman is heard urging the officers to stop and warning that Worcester needed his medication, but one officer responded by telling her to back off and another officer ordered her to get in her car.
Sources: CNN, FOX News, and Newsweek.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Police brutality is still an ongoing concern and cameras are playing a big role in showing the world these violent arrests. From the 2020 killing of George Floyd to the beating of a teenager in Chicago just last month, this video is just the latest in a series of forceful arrests that have resulted in injured or dead suspects.
- Right narrative, as provided by New York Post. While the video is alarming, full details have yet to emerge. Worcester was accused of threatening a store clerk and then allegedly became physical with officers. Arkansas authorities are rightfully supporting a state and federal investigation, which will shed light on this incident.
