Nearly two months ago, the Phoenix Police Department faced allegations of excessive force when they used a taser multiple times on a deaf African American man during an incident involving an assault on a pedestrian. Body camera footage reveals that after an officer deployed the taser and the suspect fell to the ground, another officer can be seen restraining him by kneeling on him.
The individual in question, 34-year-old Tyron Scott McAlpin, was involved in an assault at a convenience store on August 19 and has been charged with felony resisting arrest and aggravated assault. Local news station ABC15 Arizona reported last week on McAlpin’s arrest, noting that he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to police reports, Officer Benjamin Harris sustained an injury while attempting to subdue McAlpin, who allegedly bit another officer, Kyle Sue, during the struggle. Although the police report does not disclose the ethnic backgrounds of the officers involved, video footage indicates that both the officer wielding the taser and the one restraining McAlpin are white.
In his testimony, Officer Harris suggested that the situation could have been avoided if McAlpin had indicated he was hearing impaired. However, McAlpin’s attorney, Jesse Showalter, contended that the first officer to approach McAlpin failed to recognize he was deaf, as they immediately resorted to using force without attempting to de-escalate the situation.
The Phoenix Police Department has not responded to requests for comments from the Associated Press via their department communication system.
The call to the police was made by a white man who stated that McAlpin had punched him in the face. Officers responding to the report pursued McAlpin in a nearby parking lot. As they exited their patrol vehicle, they immediately attempted to make contact with him, which led to a struggle.
While McAlpin was arrested for allegedly attacking the man who reported the incident, he has not yet been charged with the assault. Showalter asserts that his client never engaged in any physical confrontation with the caller.
The incident is currently under investigation, and an internal review team has taken over the case, according to ABC15.
The Phoenix Police Department has been previously accused by the U.S. Department of Justice of discrimination against African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, as well as illegal detention of the homeless and excessive use of force, including unreasonable lethal force.
In response to these allegations, the Phoenix city government has committed to reforming the police department but has declined to enter into a “consent decree” with the Department of Justice.
