A federal investigation has been launched into the viral video of three Arkansas police officers violently beating a suspect, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday. Hutchinson announced that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division will review the video, which shows an officer punching suspect Randall Worcester in the head and slamming his head into concrete while another officer kicks him. A third officer is seen holding him down. “This is reprehensible behavior in which a suspect is beaten in this manner,” Hutchinson said at a news conference. “We don’t have all the details, and certainly this suspect had a history of concern that was legitimate for the officers, but this response was not consistent with the training they receive,” the Republican governor continued. BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMISSIONER HIT BY THESE OFFICERS Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the video of the beating “reprehensible” and “inconsistent” with law enforcement training. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) The three officers involved were identified as Crawford County Deputies Zack King and Levi White and Mulberry Police Officer Thell Riddle. All three have been suspended pending an investigation. The beating allegedly stemmed from an allegation that Worcester spat in the face of a store employee and threatened him, prompting police to respond to the incident. But police say Worcester assaulted an officer before the violent arrest seen on video. ARKANSAS: FORMER ROCK POLICE CHIEF WON’T Plead charges over NYE shooting An attorney representing the two sheriff’s deputies said that at one point, Worcester “became enraged and viciously attacked Secretary White by grabbing him by the legs, picking him up and slamming him head-first into the concrete parking lot.” WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO BELOW After Deputy White hit his head on the concrete, Worcester allegedly climbed on top of him and “started hitting him in the back of the head and face,” said attorney Russell Wood. Deputy White reportedly suffered a concussion and continues to have symptoms. Worcester was charged with a number of charges, including second-degree battery, resisting arrest, refusing to submit and possession of an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening and second-degree assault. Randal Worcester leaves the Crawford County Justice Center in Van Buren, Ark. on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo) The 27-year-old suspect was released from the Crawford County Justice Center on $15,000 bond Monday. Arkansas State Police, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the Mulberry Police Department confirmed they are investigating the incident, which is part of a state effort that is separate from the federal investigation. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A car was parked outside the Kountry Xpress in Mulberry, Arkansas, where the beating incident occurred. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo) “The FBI and the Arkansas State Police will gather all available evidence and ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “The federal investigation is separate and independent from the ongoing state investigation.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
