Content warning: This article contains footage some may find disturbing.
Arkansas law enforcement officers have been suspended and investigations have been launched following a violent arrest that was captured in widely shared footage this weekend.
Per a report from the Associated Press, two Crawford County deputies and a Mulberry Police Department officer have been suspended. Investigations have been launched by Arkansas State Police and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.
The footage in question, which is graphic, shows law enforcement officers repeatedly beating a man as he is pinned to the ground. Per regional outlet KARK-TV, the man seen being beaten in the footage has since been identified as 27-year-old Randal Ray Worcester.
Worcester is now facing multiple charges including allegations of resisting arrest, terroristic threats, criminal mischief, and assault. Police have alleged they were initially called to the scene in response to accusations of the man having made threats against a worker at a convenience store.
Complex has reached out to reps for Crawford County, Mulberry Police, and Arkansas State Police for comment on the current status of investigations into the widely criticized arrest.
In a statement shared Sunday night, Mulberry Mayor Gary D. Baxter said he was “shocked and sickened” by what he saw in the viral arrest footage.
“One the investigation by the Arkansas State Police is completed, we will take the results of the investigations very seriously and take any actions necessary to insure this never happens again,” Baxter said.
In a separate statement, a city rep confirmed that the involved officer had been placed on administrative leave. A public Crawford County statement, meanwhile, confirmed that two deputies had been suspended.
“I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter,” Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said Sunday.
