The top prosecutor in Maricopa County, Arizona, made this known on Thursday indictment against Tyron McAlpin – a black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, and who was seen on video being violently arrested – are dropped.
The announcement comes after police body camera video of McAlpin’s arrest, which showed two Phoenix police officers repeatedly punching and groping McAlpin, became public and sparked outrage.
“I have now completed my investigation and have made the decision to dismiss all remaining charges against Mr. McAlpin,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said Thursday.
McAlpin faced three charges for allegedly assaulting the two arresting officers and resisting arrest.
Phoenix police were called about a white man hanging around a convenience store on August 19. That man claimed he was attacked and had his phone stolen, and he identified McAlpin as the perpetrator. McAlpin was not charged in the incident involving the man and his attorney says he was wrongly accused.
The arrest video shows Officer Benjamin Harris jumping out of his car and striking McAlpin as Officer Kyle Sue rushed toward him. McAlpin was punched at least ten times and was also tased repeatedly. Sue can be heard on the video claiming that McAlpin bit him, and in the police report of the incident, Harris claimed that McAlpin waved at him.
“Tyron is just trying to avoid getting hurt by an aggressive, out-of-control police officer,” McAlpin’s attorney, Jesse Showalter, previously told CBS News. “He cannot hear any commands he is given, the attack never stops and the officers never do anything to de-escalate the situation.”
The arrest video drew strong reactions from the NAACP and ACLU, prompting Mitchell to announce that she would “personally review the entire file, as well as the totality of the video.”
She also noted Thursday that earlier this week she had convened “a large meeting of senior attorneys and community members to hear their views on this case.”
McAlpin’s arrest came two months after one damning report from the Ministry of Justice found that the Phoenix Police Department has engaged in a pattern of discrimination and excessive force.
Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.
