LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Two former Arkansas officers were charged after a violent arrest was caught on video last August.
The United States Justice Department said that former Crawford County sheriff’s deputies Zack King and Levi White have been charged in an indictment that was unsealed on Friday, according to The Associated Press. King and White have been charged with civil rights violations for the arrest of Randal Worcester, 27 on Aug. 21.
The arrest happened outside of a convenience store in Mulberry, Arkansas, just miles from the Oklahoma border, according to the AP.
King and White have been charged with using excessive force in Worcester’s arrest, allegedly hitting him multiple times when he was on the ground. According to the AP, a witness recorded the arrest on a cellphone video.
The Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante fired King and White back in October, according to the AP.
Worcester was being questioned by deputies for threatening a clerk at a convenience store in the area when he allegedly attacked one of the deputies, Damante said, according to the AP. That deputy suffered a concussion. Three other officers were suspended after the video came out.
According to the AP, the state and federal authorities filed investigations and Worcester filed a federal lawsuit against the officers and local officials for violating his “constitution fights during the arrest.” His lawsuit also claims that he had permanent injuries from the incident and will need to continue to receive medical care.
Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle was also seen in the video the witness captured but no charges have been announced.
Worcester was taken to a hospital and then was taken into custody for second-degree battery and resisting arrest, according to the AP. He was released on bond the day after his arrest.
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