Phoenix police's violent arrest of deaf Black man with cerebral palsy criticized

By Kanishka Singh

Civil and disability rights advocates expressed outrage on Tuesday after body camera footage was released showing Phoenix, Arizona, police violently arresting a Black man who was deaf and has cerebral palsy.

Tyron McAlpin, 34, was tasered and punched by two Phoenix officers named Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue. McAlpin was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. While the arrest took place in August, footage of the incident gained traction in multiple media outlets on Tuesday after its release on Monday.

NBC News reported that police body camera video and surveillance footage from the arrest was shared by one of McAlpin's attorneys.

The Arizona NAACP called for the officers to be placed on administrative leave until a full probe is conducted. "Tyron was not a suspect in an actual crime, he had not done anything wrong, and he also has communication challenges," said Andre Miller, an official at the civil rights organization.

The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing said it was "disheartened" and has provided training material for officers to communicate with deaf, hard of hearing and blind Arizonans "yet these modules are not currently being used."

The Phoenix Police Department has previously been under scrutiny, with the U.S. Justice Department saying it discriminated against minorities and used excessive force.

NBC News said there was no indication that the officers knew McAlpin was deaf or had cerebral palsy before his arrest.

CBS News and NBC News said police were called to a convenience store where a man claimed he was assaulted when he tried to stop a theft while pointing to McAlpin as the culprit. CBS News said McAlpin was not facing charges related to those claims.

The Phoenix Police Department said it was probing the officers' actions.

McAlpin's lawyer denied wrongdoing and said his priority was to get what he called unjust charges dropped. McAlpin spent 24 days in jail before making bond, according to CBS News, and pleaded not guilty. The officers remained on duty as of Tuesday.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the county's top prosecutor, said on Tuesday her office will review the case.

"I may reach a different conclusion, or I may not, but I believe this case merits additional scrutiny," Mitchell said.