- Three Arkansas police officers were filmed punching and kicking a subdued man on Sunday.
- Arkansas State Police said it's launched an investigation into the three officers' use of force.
- State police said the 27-year-old man was taken to hospital and later jailed.
The Arkansas State Police are investigating three police officers filmed repeatedly punching and kicking a subdued man outside a convenience store on Sunday.
A video of the incident, which has been circulated widely on social media, appears to show one officer holding the man to the ground while another punches the man's head multiple times. Beside them, another officer can be seen kneeing the man in his legs.
At one point in the footage, one officer slams the man's head onto the ground, prompting an onlooker to confront them.
"Back the fuck up," one officer can be heard saying.
(Warning: Some viewers may find this video distressing)
—Naomi Johnson (@NaomiRHelm) August 21, 2022
The Arkansas State Police told Insider in a statement that the incident occurred at around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday. It added that two of the officers under investigation are Crawford County sheriff's deputies, and one is a Mulberry police officer. The statement did not provide the names of the officers involved in the incident.
"The state police investigation will be limited to the use of physical force by the deputies and police officer," the statement read.
The subdued man was identified as a 27-year-old resident of Goose Creek, South Carolina, by the Arkansas State Police. The statement said he had been taken to hospital for examination and treatment and was later released from medical care and jailed at Van Buren.
Per the Arkansas State Police statement, the man was charged with "second-degree battery, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening, and second-degree assault."
In a Facebook post on Sunday evening, Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante wrote that his department had requested the investigation and suspended the two deputies involved pending its outcome.
"I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter," he wrote.
The Mulberry City's Facebook account wrote on Sunday that one of its police officers is on administrative leave. "We will take the appropriate actions at the conclusion of the investigation," it said.
Mulberry is a city in Crawford County, and Insider's calls to the Crawford County Sheriff's Department were not returned as of Sunday evening.
The Arkansas State Police said the findings of its investigation would be given to the Crawford County prosecuting attorney, who will decide whether or not to charge the three officers.
Meanwhile, Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted that he had spoken to State Police Director Col. Bill Bryant about the arrest and confirmed the launch of an investigation.
