Phoenix/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on October 14, 2024
Video Exposes Cops Punching and Tasing Black Deaf Man with Cerebral Palsy During Misguided ArrestSource: Facebook/Phoenix Police Department

Phoenix has become the stage of a deeply troubling encounter between police officers and a Black deaf man with cerebral palsy that draws sharp attention to issues surrounding police conduct, use of force, and sensitivity toward individuals with disabilities. Video evidence of the August 19 incident shows Tyron McAlpin being punched and Tasered by Phoenix police officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue after he was incorrectly identified by a white man, who himself was under investigation, as having committed an assault.

Body camera footage scrutinized by ABC15 contradicts the officers' report that McAlpin took a fighting stance and threw punches. Instead, the video shows McAlpin attempting to protect himself from the aggressive actions of the officers. The altercation escalated, resulting in McAlpin being hit in the head at least 10 times and Tasered four times. "He couldn’t understand what they were doing. And he had done nothing wrong," Jesse Showalter, one of McAlpin's attorneys, said in an interview with ABC15.

The charges of felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest faced by McAlpin have been widely criticized as a response to an incident fraught with miscommunication and bias. In the aftermath, Phoenix police have launched an internal investigation, acknowledging its existence but providing no comment on the proceedings. McAlpin's case could potentially test the city for its ability to handle reforms suggested by a Department of Justice report that among other things, cited racial bias and unnecessary use of force within the Phoenix Police Department.

Officers Harris and Sue, during an October 1 preliminary hearing, defended their actions with Harris stating that McAlpin's raised hands communicated an imminent assault. Contrarily, in court records obtained by AZCentral, Harris conceded that the whole situation could have been avoided if McAlpin had just indicated he was deaf. Absent from the officers' reports was any mention of McAlpin’s disabilities, which later came to light when his girlfriend informed the officers at the scene.

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association President Darrell Kriplean released a statement saying, "Our officers have the right to defend themselves against attack by utilizing reasonable and necessary force based on the circumstances presented at the time." The stance complements Commissioner Nick Saccone's finding of probable cause for the charges to move forward against McAlpin, despite contrasting public sentiment and emerging details from the video that suggest a narrative of misinterpretation and excessive force.