Two sheriff’s deputies were fired after a video circulated showing them violently beat a man while arresting him.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department fired Levi White and Zachary King, the sheriff said on Thursday.
White and King, along with police officer Thell Riddle, were seen in a video arresting Randal Worcester in the town of Mulberry, Arkansas in August.
The video shows one deputy repeatedly punching Worcester in the head as he lies face-down on the sidewalk held down by the two other men. After a few seconds of punching, a second deputy begins to repeatedly knee him as well.
The incident was filmed by a woman sitting in a car nearby.
All three men were suspended after the video circulated online. State and federal authorities announced investigations into the incident.
Arkansas State Police concluded their investigation on September 8, but the state’s Special Prosecutor Emily White has not decided whether the men will face charges.
Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante has not commented any further on the deputies’ firing.
‘I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter,’ Damante stated after initially putting White and King on leave.
Riddle remains on leave without pay from his job at the Mulberry Police Department, Police Chief Shannon Gregory said.
Worcester filed a federal lawsuit against all three officers, alleging that they violated his constitutional rights. The lawsuit claims he has permanent injuries from the arrest.
After he was taken to a hospital, Worcester was arrested and charged with second-degree battery, resisting arrest, and terroristic threatening.
Worcester’s attorney Adam Rose praised the decision to fire the deputies. ‘It’s just a single step in a very long journey to have justice for Randal and honestly for Crawford County as a whole,’ he said.
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