Video of Phoenix police’s violent arrest of a deaf black man with cerebral palsy sparks outrage

Phoenix, Arizona – Police body camera video showing the August 19 arrest by Phoenix police of Tyron McAlpin, a black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is sparking outrage among civil rights and disability activists.

The video shows that immediately after the stop, Officer Benjamin Harris jumped out of his vehicle and began punching McAlpin while Officer Kyle Sue rushed over. McAlpin was struck at least 10 times and was also repeatedly Tasered. On the video, Sue can be heard claiming McAlpin bit him, and in the police report of the incident, Harris claims McAlpin attacked him.

McAlpin is now charged with three criminal offenses for assaulting officers and resisting arrest.

McAlpin’s civil attorney Jesse Showalter said the video of his client’s arrest was “truly unreasonable.”

“Tyron is just trying not to get hurt by an aggressive, out-of-control police officer,” Showalter said. “He cannot hear any of the commands given to him and the attack never lets up and the officers never do anything to de-escalate the situation.”

Police had been called to a nearby supermarket on a complaint about a white man loitering. This man claimed he was attacked and his cell phone was stolen. When police arrived, he named McAlpin as the perpetrator, but no charges will be filed against McAlpin in connection with that man’s allegations.

Showalter said McAlpin “did nothing wrong, so all the force they used is excessive, unnecessary and unreasonable.”

Andre Miller, vice president of the Arizona State Conference NAACP, condemned McAlpin’s arrest, saying in a statement: “This brutal attack was due to the false claims of a white citizen, reminiscent of many falsehoods like Emmit Till that have claimed Black lives. “ Citizen in America was not a suspect of an actual crime, he had done nothing wrong and he also had communication difficulties. His attack occurred just seconds after the police vehicle was pulled into the park. There was no real communication in this encounter. “

McAlpin spent 24 days in jail before entering bond. He has pleaded not guilty. Officers only learned he was deaf after the arrest and remained on the job as of Tuesday.

The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing said in a statement it was “disheartened by this incident.” We have conducted POST training for officers to communicate with deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind Arizonans, but these modules are not currently in use. Cultural and language knowledge and awareness are critical to everyone’s safety.”

Phoenix police declined an interview request from CBS News but said in a statement that they were investigating the officers’ actions.

Maricopa District Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the county’s top prosecutor, has also promised to review the case.

“Due to the attention on this case, I will personally review the entire file and video. I may or may not come to a different conclusion, but I believe this case deserves additional consideration,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Phoenix City Councilman Kevin Robinson said in a statement Tuesday: “While I cannot comment on the specific details of the incident at this time, I look forward to a thorough investigation being conducted in a timely manner.”

The incident occurred just two months after a Damning report from the Department of Justice found that Phoenix police used a pattern of discrimination and excessive force. The Justice Department is aware of McAlpin’s arrest.

Darrell Hill, policy director for the ACLU Arizona, said the video shows “another devastating example of the Phoenix Police Department’s racial bias and use of excessive force against people who pose no threat to them, including people with disabilities.”

“Extreme and disproportionate responses like this are well documented in the Justice Department investigation and report. Clearly the report’s findings are not being taken seriously, critical changes are not being implemented by police or city leaders, and federal oversight is urgently needed.”

Showalter noted that everything seen in the video “is dated after the DOJ report. It just goes against everything the city of Phoenix says it does.”