Arkansas governor says DOJ will investigate ‘reprehensible’ police beating caught on camera

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Monday called the behavior of three police officers caught on camera beating a suspect “reprehensible” and “not consistent” with their training.

Hutchinson said the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division will investigate the incident after a video went viral showing officers repeatedly punching and kicking an individual and at one point slamming their head into the ground. 

“That is reprehensible conduct in which a suspect is beat in that fashion,” Hutchinson said at a press conference.

“We saw a glimpse of that. It is under investigation,” he continued. “We don’t have all of the details, and certainly that suspect had a history of concern that was legitimate for the officers, but what that response was was not consistent with the training that they receive.”

Federal law enforcement authorities confirmed to The Hill in a statement that they have opened investigations into the matter.

“The FBI and the Arkansas State Police will collect all available evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner,” they added. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time. The federal investigation is separate and independent from the ongoing state investigation.”

The three officers — two Crawford County Sheriff’s Office deputies and one Mulberry Police Department officer — have all been suspended pending probes into the incident. Arkansas State Police announced on Sunday it is also conducting an investigation.

The agency said the suspect, identified as Randall Worcester, 27, was jailed after being released from a local hospital. He was charged with second-degree battery, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening and second-degree assault. 

“This is not what our law enforcement community represents,” Hutchinson said. “It’s not the proper response, and they will be reviewed and appropriate action taken.”

The Crawford County sheriff did not return a request for comment on Sunday asking for more information on how the encounter transpired.

Updated 6:53 p.m.