shocking bodycam video showing him body-slamming a hit-and-run suspect onto the sidewalk
Shocking footage of a Florida police officer body-slamming a man involved in a suspected hit-and-run has led to the trooper getting suspended.
Officer Shaun Wright was placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation after the viral video showed the altercation on Railroad Avenue and St. Francis Street in the state capital of Tallahassee
The 47-second Video was posted to Instagram after being shot by a group of girls who saw the entire incident from an apartment building directly across the street from where the 27-year-old suspect was being apprehended.
The girls who were filming the interaction were left stunned as Wright, lifted the unnamed suspect into the air and dropped him on his head before slamming the rest of his body into the ground and placing him into handcuffs.
'Oh my God! They just threw him onto the floor head first. He wasn't even fighting!' one exclaims.
'The Tallahassee Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media. The incident has been turned over to our internal affairs division for further review,' Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.
Revell also released footage from body cameras worn by Wright and his female partner.
The suspect can be heard questioning the reason why he was being arrested, but Wright refused to provide a specific reason.
'Here's your explanation, you're under arrest,' Wright said.
Video released by the Tallahassee police force indicates that officers saw the man had a knife and were therefore acting with a degree of caution as they looked to place him in handcuffs as quickly as possible.
But the suspect refuses to cooperate until he is given a proper reason for his arrest, which the police officer refuses to offer up.
The clearest view of the body-slamming comes from the bodycam worn by his partner, identified only as Officer Gilbert, who was standing just a few feet away.
The suspect was then quickly placed in cuffs and under arrest while still asking the reason for his apprehension.
The officer continued to decline to provide a proper reason as to why the arrest was taking place.
Soon after being cuffed, the man was seen being walked to a nearby patrol car during which time he he was asked by Officer Gilbert if he was hurt.
A discussion then takes place between the two officers were the male officer and his partner discuss how they are going to complete a police report into the incident.
Officer Wright notes that his use of force may well be investigated by his superiors. He has since been placed on paid administrative leave.
A spokesperson for the Tallahassee Police Department provided further details and explained that officers were speaking with the man as a result of a hit-and-run crash
'We had an incident that we were made aware of late this weekend where our officers responded to a hit and run and once they got on the scene witnesses on scene observed the suspect from the hit and run on foot, our officers went and made contact with that suspect,' Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.
'He was positively identified by multiple witnesses and once they went to place him under arrest for the hit-and-run, he resisted and was taken to the ground and transported to the Leon County Jail after that with no injuries.'
The department also confirmed that the suspect had a knife during the arrest.
He was cited for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and resisting an officer without violence, both misdemeanor offenses. He was taken to the Leon County Detention Facility and released on $250 bail, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
According to the Tallahassee Police Department General Order, 'When officers are engaged in any response to resistance encounter, they are responsible for making the preservation of human life their first priority and using only the amount of force-objectively reasonable to effectively bring the incident under control.'
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