A Black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy was criminally charged following a violent encounter with Phoenix police officers, sparking widespread outrage, Atlanta Black Star reports.
Tyron McAlpin was punched and tased multiple times and put in a chokehold during an arrest on August 19, body camera footage shows. The arrest occurred after a white man allegedly falsely accused McAlpin of assault.
Officers said McAlpin was throwing punches and taking a fighting stance during the arrest. McAlpin is facing felony charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
However, McAlpin's attorneys said the man was trying to protect himself as police violently escalated the situation as he struggled to understand their commands due to his disability.
“The answer is easy. He’s deaf. He couldn’t understand what they were doing. And he had done nothing wrong,” McAlpin’s attorney, Jesse Showalter, said in a statement. “Everything I see in that video is Tyron just trying to avoid being harmed by these officers, and that only made them escalate the violence they used.”
The case comes after the Department of Justice released a report on Phoenix police, alleging excessive use of force, racial bias, and mishandling of individuals with disabilities.
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