A police officer from Sunrise, Florida, was suspended and is under investigation for having grabbed a colleague by the neck while making the arrest of an African-American man, after a video that came to light on Friday.
The sergeant identified as Christopher Pullase, leaned towards the young man who was arrested while he was in the patrol car with an apparent defiant attitude, while he was could see with pepper spray, reported Insider.
After Pullase’s attitude, the officer of 21 years old, whose name has not been revealed, approached the agent and tried to move him away from the suspect, generating a violent reaction from the sergeant, who aggressively grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against another police car.
After After the attack, Pullase returned to the suspect who was in the patrol car, pointed his finger at the officer and walked away.
The body camera video shows the incident from the perspective of Pullase and another officer, and although there is no audio, only the face of the sergeant can be seen. The faces of the rest of the people were blurred.
The incident occurred after the police responded to an emergency call by a man who was attacking people outside a convenience store, Vice News reported, citing a press release from the Sunrise Police Department.
Sunrise Police Chief Anthony Rosa told 7News that Pullase’s behavior was disgusting, and that the video speaks for itself.
Furthermore, the police chief praised the agent for trying to stop the sergeant who approached with the gas spray and under a behavior that he classified as “inappropriate and unprofessional”.
“I am very proud of this police officer. He took definitive action. I can only imagine what he must be feeling. She is a newer officer and he is a very high-ranking sergeant,” Rosa told the aforementioned outlet.
Pullease, from 46 years, is a veteran with 21 years of service , and after the assault, he was assigned to office duties while investigations into the incident continue.
“There are some details of the investigation that I have not revealed, and that I can’t reveal it at this time. If any of the information that emerges during the investigation is raised to a level of criminal behavior or conduct, then we will deal with it appropriately“, added Rosa.
New state law requires police departments to train officers on the duty to intervene if they see another officer using excessive force.