An officer is now on leave and an investigation is underway at the Sarasota Police Department, after a video surfaced showing an officer putting his knee on a Black man’s head and neck.
On Thursday, SPD released aerial footage of the incident, which reportedly happened on May 18, in an effort to “continue transparency,” the department said in a Facebook post.
According to the arrest report, 27-year-old Patrick Carroll was arrested after allegedly hitting the mother of his children. The 13-minute video of the arrest shows three officers (Martinez, Stanaland and Wicinski) wrestling Carroll to the ground. At one point, a white male officer can be seen with his knee placed on his head and neck area.
To continue transparency involving the arrest of an individual on May 18th in @CityofSarasota, we want to share with you unedited video from @SarasotaSheriff. Our Internal Affairs investigation continues. At this time, one Officer remains on admin leave. https://t.co/1SUz6vOYIT
— Sarasota Police Department (@SarasotaPD) June 2, 2020
Carroll did not receive any medical attention, nor did he complain of any injuries, says the report.
It’s also worth noting that SPD released today’s footage after they were tagged in social media posts from bystanders showing the arrest from another angle.
In a statement, Sarasota Police stated that “this tactic was not taught,” and that Chief Bernadette DiPino was “disturbed” by what she saw in the video.
“After viewing several videos, Chief DiPino immediately initiated a formal Internal Affairs investigation and placed the officer on administrative leave,” says the statement. “Chief DiPino was disturbed to see an Officer kneeling on the head and neck of an individual in the video. While it appears the Officer eventually moves his leg to the individual’s back, this tactic is not taught, used or advocated by our agency.”
The timing of the incident comes during the nationwide protests regarding George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who suffocated and died under the knee of white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
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