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The officers who brutally arrested Tyrone McAlpin were on paid leave.

Posted on by L. Dreeye
The officers who brutally arrested Tyrone McAlpin were on paid leave.

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Two Phoenix police officers are on paid leave while the agency investigates their involvement in the violent arrest of a black, deaf man with cerebral palsy.

A Phoenix Police Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday that officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue were on administrative leave while they investigated the arrest of Tyrone McAlpine.

Harris and Sue were responding to a trespassing call on the Circle K near Indian School Road and 12th Street in August. The white man they were asked to escort out of the store said he had been attacked and pointed to a black man – McAlpin – across the street.

Harris told McAlpin to stop and then grabbed him seconds later, the footage shows. A fight ensued between the men, during which Harris used a stun gun on McAlpin four times. The police hit him more than ten times.

McAlpin was charged with aggravated assault due to this interaction, but District Attorney Rachel Mitchell dropped the charges after reviewing the incident.

Video of the incident was released at a court hearing on October 1 and sparked public concern, criticism from local leaders and national attention.

An internal police department investigation is currently underway. The department’s interim chief, Michael Sullivan, said he would personally review the investigation’s findings.

The violent arrest came four months after the U.S. Department of Justice accused the Phoenix Police Department of civil rights violations, including the persistent use of unlawful force.

Republic Reporters Maritza Dominguez, Miguel Torres and Taylor Seely contributed to this story.