PHOENIX, AZ – Phoenix police officers that assaulted a disabled Black man are facing lenient disciplinary actions five months after the incident, according to The Root.
According to The Root, the incident began when the officers responded to a call about a fight at a convenience store, where the aggressor was described as “a white male.” The Root states the man officers questioned falsely identified Tyron McAlpin as the aggressor, while he was walking by the store.
The Root reports the officers rushed to McAlpin, attacking him without warning while he was looking at his phone, as shown by bodycam footage. He was brought to the ground, tasered four times, and hit in the head many more times, wrote The Root.
When McAlpin’s wife arrived, The Root reported she told the officers, “He’s deaf, and he has cerebral palsy.” One of the officers asked, “How can he be deaf if he was on his phone?” The woman explained, “Because I know sign language, that’s why. I sign to him.”
McAlpin was taken into custody and charged with felony aggravated assault and resisting arrest. Upon review of the case by Maricopa County District Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the charges were dropped, said The Root.
The officers involved were suspended without pay for 24 hours and two of them were required to receive additional training, according to The Root, quoting Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan as stating, “The decision to suspend the officers reflects our commitment to accountability and maintaining public trust.”
According to The Root, the 24-hour suspension of the officers comes five months after their assault of the disabled Black man.
