MULBERRY, Ark. – The Arkansas State Police are investigating after a witness video showed a man being punched and kicked by law enforcement officers in Mulberry on Sunday, Aug. 21.
Officials say one police officer and two deputies were involved.
“The officer is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” the Mulberry police department said in a statement. “The City of Mulberry and the Mulberry Police Department takes these investigations very seriously and holds all their officers accountable for their actions. We will take the appropriate actions at the conclusion of the investigation.”
Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said: “In reference to the video circulating social media involving two Crawford County Deputies, we have requested that Arkansas State Police conduct the investigation and the Deputies have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter.“
5News reported: Officers were called about a man making terroristic threats to a convenience store employee. The suspect allegedly spit on the employee and threatened to “cut off their face.”
[…] The man then traveled on a bike to Mulberry, near Exit 20, where the Mulberry officer and the deputies met with him. The conversation began calm, but the sheriff says the man then began attacking one of the deputies by pushing him to the ground and punching the back of his head, leading to what was seen in the video.
No further details were available.
