MULBERRY, Ark. (AP) — Three Arkansas regulation enforcement officers have been suspended, and state police launched an investigation after a video posted on social media confirmed two of them beating a suspect whereas a 3rd officer held him on the bottom.

The officers have been responding to a report of a person making threats outdoors a comfort retailer Sunday within the small city of Mulberry, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, close to the border with Oklahoma, authorities mentioned.

The video reveals one officer punching the suspect with a clenched fist, whereas one other may be seen hitting the person together with his knee. The third officer holds him towards the pavement.

In video recorded from a automobile close by, somebody yells at officers to cease hitting the person within the head. Two of the officers seem to lookup and say one thing again to the one that yelled. The officers’ feedback couldn’t be heard clearly on the video.

Two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies and one Mulberry police officer have been suspended, metropolis and county authorities mentioned.

Arkansas State Police mentioned the company would examine using pressure. State police recognized the suspect as Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, South Carolina.

He was taken to a hospital for therapy then launched and booked into the Van Buren County jail on a number of prices, together with second-degree battery, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats, state police mentioned.

Worcester’s father declined to remark when contacted Monday by The Related Press. He referred a reporter to a regulation agency representing the household. That agency mentioned it was nonetheless making an attempt to assemble data and didn’t instantly have a touch upon the video.

Worcester is white, in accordance with jail reserving data, and the three officers concerned additionally seem like white.

Authorities haven’t launched the names of the three officers.

“I maintain all my staff accountable for his or her actions and can take acceptable measures on this matter,” Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante mentioned.

In an announcement launched Sunday night, Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory mentioned the group and the division take the matter “very significantly.”

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson mentioned on Twitter that the incident “will likely be investigated pursuant to the video proof and the request of the prosecuting legal professional.”

Cellphone video of often-violent police interactions has put a highlight on officer conduct lately, significantly since the 2020 killing of George Floyd whereas he was being arrested by police in Minneapolis.

The ensuing nationwide protests known as consideration to officer brutality that usually targets Black People.

The entrance door at constructing that serves because the Mulberry police headquarters and metropolis corridor was locked Monday. An indication on the door directed anybody with questions on “the police investigation” to contact Arkansas State Police.

It was unclear whether or not the officers have been carrying physique cameras.

Amid public strain for transparency and the proliferation of movies exposing police misconduct, there was some pushback towards recording officers. In July, the governor of Arizona signed a invoice that makes it unlawful to knowingly file officers from eight ft (2.5 meters) or nearer with out permission.

Mulberry is a city of 1,600 folks on the southern fringe of the Ozarks in western Arkansas, proper off Interstate 40, which runs from California to North Carolina.

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This story has been corrected to repair the spelling of Randal Worcester. Authorities initially gave an incorrect spelling.

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Related Press writers Jill Bleed in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.