Officers were responding to a report of a man making threats outside a convenience store Sunday in the small town of Mulberry, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, near the Oklahoma border, authorities said. The video shows one officer hitting the suspect with a clenched fist, while another is seen hitting the man with his knee. The third officer holds him down on the sidewalk. In video captured from a car nearby, someone yells at the officers to stop hitting the man in the head. Two of the officers are seen looking up and saying something back to the person who shouted. The officers’ comments could not be heard clearly on the video. Two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies and a Mulberry police officer have been suspended, city and county officials said. Arkansas State Police said the agency will investigate the use of force. State Police identified the suspect as Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, South Carolina. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, then released and booked into the Van Buren County Jail on multiple charges, including second-degree battery, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats, state police said. Worcester’s father declined to comment when contacted Monday by The Associated Press. He referred a reporter to a law firm representing the family. The company said it was still trying to gather information and did not immediately comment on the video. Worcester is white, according to jail booking information, and the three officers involved also appear to be white. Authorities have not released the names of the three officers. “I hold all of my officers accountable for their actions and will take appropriate action in this matter,” said Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante. In a statement released Sunday night, Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory said the community and department are taking the matter “very seriously.” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Twitter that the incident “will be investigated based on video evidence and the District Attorney’s request.” Cellphone footage of often violent police interactions has put the spotlight on police behavior in recent years, particularly after the 2020 killing of George Floyd while he was being held by police in Minneapolis. The resulting nationwide protests drew attention to officer brutality that often targets black Americans. The front door of the building that serves as Mulberry’s police headquarters and city hall was locked Monday. A sign on the door directed anyone with questions about the “police investigation” to contact the Arkansas State Police. It was unclear if the officers were wearing body cameras. Amid public pressure for transparency and the proliferation of videos exposing police misconduct, there has been some backlash against recording officers. In July, Arizona’s governor signed a bill making it illegal for officers to knowingly record from 8 feet (2.5 meters) or closer without a warrant. Mulberry is a town of 1,600 at the southern end of the Ozarks in western Arkansas, just off Interstate 40, which runs from California to North Carolina.
This story has been corrected to correct spelling by Randal Worcester. Authorities initially gave an incorrect spelling.
Associated Press writers Jill Bleed in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina contributed to this report.
