Warning: This article contains graphic content.
On Sunday (August 21), three Arkansas law enforcement officers were suspended after a disturbing video was circulating on social media.
The viral video showed two deputies and an officer repeatedly striking the victim while putting him under arrest. Arkansas State police identified the shoeless suspect as 27-year-old Randall Worcester. The Crawford County Sheriff told CNN that the suspect was wanted for allegedly threatening a gas station clerk in a different town. Worcester was later found in the city of Mulberry, where he met his tragic fate of being a victim of police brutality.
Jimmy Damante, the sheriff in Crawford County, also stated that Worcester was cooperative with law enforcement at first. However, the violent confrontation shown in the video taken by bystanders happened after the suspect attempted to attack the officers. After the incident, Worcester went to the hospital for examination and then headed to jail. As a result of the altercation, one of the officers received minor head injuries.
In addition to threatening a clerk, the suspect was charged with second-degree battery, resisting arrest, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening as well as first- and second-degree assault charges.
Bystander takes a video from their car of the incident.
Warning: this video contains content that some viewers may find disturbing.
The witness recording the video stated that Worcester appeared homeless and mentally disturbed. The graphic video exhibited violent actions from police officers that felt all too familiar. The unnamed Arkansas officers beat, kicked, and repeatedly slammed Worcester’s head against the curb. At one point in the video, one of the cops looked directly at the witness, pointed, and angrily yelled at them to “Back the f— up”. Immediately after this, another officer noticed the bystander and ordered them to get back in the car.
Police brutality is a public health issue. It is unfortunate that instances like these continue to happen after we marched for George Floyd. We must keep fighting for justice in our society!