Dallas Man Dies After a Deputy Is Filmed With His Knee on the Unarmed Man's Neck During Arrest

The death has now been ruled a homicide, with multiple autopsies pending.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The death of 48-year-old Dallas resident Joseph Hutcheson has been ruled a homicide. Hutcheson, as shown in the video above, reportedly entered the Dallas County Jail to request help from deputies regarding his wife's behavior. According to the Dallas Morning News, Hutcheson was then bombarded by multiple deputies before being taken forcefully to the ground and handcuffed. At one point in the video, a deputy is seen with his knee pressed firmly against the victim's neck. Hutcheson quickly lost consciousness and eventually died.

The Medical Examiner's office ruled that Hutcheson died from "a combination of the effects of being restrained, cocaine, methamphetamine and hypertensive cardiovascular disease." Multiple witnesses confirm to Dallas Morning News that one deputy did place his knee firmly against Hutcheson's neck, with Hutcheson eventually losing consciousness after "kicking erratically for several minutes under the weight of the deputies."

The offending officers reportedly waited at least ten minutes before even attempting to administer CPR, according to Mashable. Sadly, this is not the first disturbing case of police brutality from Dallas. The nationwide problem, thanks to efforts from #BlackLivesMatter and similar groups, is now being directly addressed by potential presidential candidates. In recent weeks, both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have taken measures aimed at making widespread police reform an important element in their respective campaigns.

 

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