Cop beat handcuffed man in back of patrol car, leaving him unconscious, AR suit says
A police officer beat a man unconscious in the back of a patrol car while he was handcuffed and on his way to jail, according to an Arkansas lawsuit.
Before ending up in the Jonesboro officer’s custody on Aug. 8, the man had ingested a “baggie” of fentanyl as Craighead County deputies were approaching his vehicle, the lawsuit said.
The deputies arrested him and took him to a hospital for treatment, according to the lawsuit filed Sept. 24.
The man then escaped the hospital, still wearing the gown and no shoes, according to the lawsuit, and was picked up by Jonesboro officer Joseph Harris.
As Harris was taking the man to jail, he started to beg to go back to the hospital, fearing that the fentanyl was still in his system, according to the lawsuit.
He tried to gag himself with the seat belt in the back of the cruiser to “dislodge” the drugs from his system. Seeing what was happening in the back seat, Harris pulled the vehicle over and got out, the suit said.
He opened the door to the back seat and started to punch the handcuffed man in the head, the lawsuit said. Video released by the Jonesboro Police Department showed the officer pushing the man’s legs out of the way to hit his head and face.
“I’ve watched the video and I’m appalled because the officer’s actions in that video are inexcusable,” Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver said on Aug. 13.
The Jonesboro Police Department investigated the incident and fired Harris on Aug. 9, according to a news release.
Now, the man is suing the officer, accusing him of excessive force and saying the department tolerated the excessive force, according to the lawsuit. He’s seeking $2 million in damages.
The City of Jonesboro declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Jonesboro Police Department did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Sept. 26. Attorney information for Harris was not listed.
Attorneys for the man suing called the beating “brutal.” Video showed Harris slamming the car door on the man’s head, leaving him unconscious.
Seconds later, Harris is seen opening the car door and rubbing the man’s sternum with a metal baton, causing him more pain, the lawsuit said.
The man said the excessive force continued after he arrived at Craighead County Jail, according to the lawsuit. The handcuffed man “berated” Harris as another officer restrained him, the suit said.
Harris lunged at the man and tried to punch him, even though the man was restrained, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit accused Harris of four other instances of excessive force or search without probable cause.
After a July 2022 incident during which Harris was captured on video pushing a person to the ground and kneeling on their head, the city said he would be placed on administrative leave, the lawsuit said.
A copy of police documents shows an “incomplete notice of disciplinary action form” was filed and was missing key facts about the incident, the lawsuit said.
Prior to these excessive force reports, the lawsuit said Harris did not complete basic police training nor was he interviewed by a person representing the city before he was hired as a Jonesboro officer in 2019.
Jonesboro is in northeastern Arkansas, about a 70-mile drive northwest of Memphis, Tennessee.
