A Civil Lawsuit is Filed Against 4 Law Enforcement Officers in Arizona for Allegedly Beating a Man and More
On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, a civil lawsuit was filed against four law enforcement officers in Sharp County, Arkansas. They are accused of unlawfully beating, prosecuting, and harassing a man. One of the defendants is a police officer with the Cherokee Village Police Department. One is a reserve deputy with the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department. The third and fourth are police officers with the Ash Flat Police Department. In addition to the four accused of involvement in the alleged beating, three other individuals and their respective municipalities are listed as defendants.
The following are some facts surrounding the incident, according to an Ash Flat Police Department report:
- A woman called 9-1-1 and reported that her husband was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- The woman advised police, when they arrived, that she had been fighting with her husband and he was in the house rolling a joint.
- Police officers began talking with the husband, and they said he was obviously intoxicated.
According to the lawsuit, one of the officers body-slammed the husband. Allegedly, a body camera shows another officer striking the suspect with a flashlight on the side of his head as he was handcuffed and on the ground.
One of the officers at the scene has reportedly stated that, after attempting to kick an officer, the man was pulled out of the police car and he busted his chin on the pavement.
The lawsuit claims that the man suffered fractures and deep cuts from the encounter with police.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arkansas State Police are investigating the incident.
Lawsuits are often filed after police officers allegedly use excessive force. Investigations seek to determine whether officers followed police protocol or acted outside the boundaries of law enforcement procedure. In May 2017, for example, a police officer was charged with the murder of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Balch Springs, Texas. The police officer’s burden in the case is to prove that when the teenager was allegedly fatally shot, he was acting reasonably and not using excessive force.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
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smchugh