Full Body Cam Footage Released Of The Tasering And Hard Takedown Of A Deaf Black Man With Cerebral Palsey And It's Not Pretty

Phoenix, Arizona — Police body camera video showing the Aug. 19 arrest by Phoenix police of Tyron McAlpin, a Black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is sparking outrage from civil rights and disability activists.

The video shows that, immediately upon pulling up, officer Benjamin Harris jumped out of his vehicle and began punching McAlpin as officer Kyle Sue rushed over. McAlpin was punched at least 10 times and was also tased repeatedly. Sue can be heard on the video claiming McAlpin bit him and, in the police report from the incident, Harris claims McAlpin swung at him.

McAlpin now faces three felony charges for allegedly assaulting the officers and resisting arrest.

McAlpin's civil attorney, Jesse Showalter, said the video of his client's arrest is "really unconscionable."

"Tyron is just trying to avoid getting hurt by an aggressive, out-of-control police officer," Showalter said. "He can't hear any of the commands he's being given and the assault never lets up and the officers never do anything to de-escalate the situation."

Police had been called to a nearby convenience store for a complaint about a White man who was loitering. That man claimed he had been assaulted and that his cell phone had been stolen. When police arrived, he pointed to McAlpin as the culprit, but McAlpin is not facing charges related to that man's claims.

Showalter said McAlpin, "hadn't done anything wrong, so all the force that they used is excessive, unnecessary and unreasonable."

Andre Miller, Vice President of the Arizona State Conference NAACP, condemned McAlpin's arrest, saying in a statement, "This brutal assault was due to the false claims of a white citizen, reminiscent of many falsehoods like Emmit Till that have claimed the lives of black citizens in America. Tyron was not a suspect in an actual crime, he had not done anything wrong, and he also has communication challenges, his assault happened seconds after the police vehicle was put in park. No true communication in this encounter was present."

McAlpin spent 24 days in jail before making bond. He's pleaded not guilty. The officers didn't learn he was deaf until after the arrest and, as of Tuesday, remain on the job.