The three officers were suspended on Sunday as outrage mounted over the video, showing a man being held down on the ground and beaten in Mulberry.
One of the officers can be seen repeatedly punching the shoeless suspect—identified as 27-year-old Randall Worcester, of South Carolina—in the head with a clenched fist. Another is seen kneeing him, while a third is holding him down.
While an initial TikTok video of the incident has amassed about 8,000 views at tome of writing, the clip went viral after it was shared on Twitter. Several tweets that include the clip have amassed a combined 10 million views and counting. Newsweek has contacted the person who originally posted the video for comment.
In a statement on Sunday evening, Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said two county deputies will be suspended during the course of the Arkansas state police’s investigation into the incident and the Sheriff’s Office’s internal investigation. “I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter,” Damante said.
A Mulberry police officer was also suspended, according to The Associated Press.
Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory said the officer involved in the incident is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation. “The city of Mulberry and the Mulberry police department takes these investigations very seriously,” Gregory said.
The Arkansas State Police confirmed late on Sunday that it has opened an investigation into the use of force in Worcester’s arrest.
The investigation “will be limited to the use of physical force by the deputies and police officer,” state police said in a statement.
“Upon completion of the investigation, the case file will be submitted to the Crawford County prosecuting attorney who will determine whether the use of force by the law enforcement officers was consistent with Arkansas laws.”
The statement did not identify the officers involved, and referred queries to their respective departments. Newsweek has contacted the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the Mulberry Police Department for comment.
Worcester was taken to a local hospital “for examination and treatment, then later released and jailed at Van Buren,” the state police statement said.
It did not reveal further details about what treatment Worcester needed.
It added that he has been 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.
Police said a report indicated Worcester was making threats to a convenience store employee in Mulberry on Sunday morning, according to the AP.
Police said when the officers confronted him, he pushed a deputy to the ground and punched the back of his head, leading to the arrest captured on video.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Twitter that the “local arrest incident in Crawford County will be investigated pursuant to the video evidence and the request of the prosecuting attorney.”
