Cleveland Cop Is Suspended After Kicking Complying Suspect From Behind

An East Cleveland police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a video shared on social media showed him kicking down a suspect who was already on the ground.

A police report confirms the officer was called to Best Steak N Gyros House on Euclid Avenue just before 4 a.m. Monday morning for a report of a man "behaving aggressively." The report goes on to say the suspect was "detained," but footage originally shared on one of the Instagram accounts for the Cleveland Remembrance Page shows more to the story.

In the video, the man is on the ground on one knee while the officer points his taser at him, yelling at him to get "face-down, on your stomach." Just as the man puts his hands behind his back, the officer comes up from behind and kicks him in the back, bringing him fully to the floor.

East Cleveland later released body cam footage of the entire incident, which did not explicitly show the kick due to the angle of the lens but has audio that exactly matches the C.O.R.P. video. Prior to the kick itself, the officer can be seen telling the man to get on the ground multiple times while the man makes unknown comments, and afterward, he is handcuffed before being driven to the police station.

The suspect was taken to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation, but has not yet been identified. Police Chief Scott Gardner says the man has not filed a formal complaint alleging excessive force, but the department chose to look into the incident after the initial video was made public.

"I promised the community transparency with this department," Gardner added. "Therefore, I have initiated an Administrative Investigation to be completed."

The officer has also not been named at this time. He was placed on leave per protocol established by the department's collective agreement with the police union.