Police investigate officer caught on video punching intoxicated suspect in Fort Worth
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
April 2, 2018
FORT WORTH -- A home video capturing a Fort Worth officer subduing a suspect and throwing several punches while the man was down on the ground Saturday has prompted an internal police investigation.
Police noted in a news release that the video may raise questions about the arrest, but said it did not depict the whole story.
The name of the officers involved had not been released as of Monday morning.
Police identified the suspect as Forrest Curry, 35. He was arrested on charges of public intoxication, resisting arrest and evading arrest.
"While we are actively investigating the incident, we are unable to release the full details at this time," Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said in the news release Sunday.
But the police chief provided a summary.
He said that initially police were dispatched to meet an ambulance crew on a call, but the call was changed to a disturbance when officers received reports that a man had become combative with Fort Worth firefighters.
When they arrived, officers were told that the man appeared to be intoxicated and had attempted to assault the firefighters, the police chief said.
The suspect fled when an officer approached him.
The man was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit that ended in the 1900 block of Handley Drive.
A 50-second video captured by a passing motorist and released Sunday by Next Generation Action Network shows two officers sitting on top of the suspect, attempting to subdue him. One officer punches the suspect at least five times and kicks him once, according to the video.
The suspect curses at the officers as he pleads for them to stop.
"The video being circulated depicts officers struggling with the male and striking him as they attempt to handcuff him," the police chief said. "What the video does not depict is that it took 3 officers and 1 supervisor to effectively place the resisting subject into handcuffs."
Fitzgerald said the struggle lasted almost five minutes.
The police chief asked for patience and calm as the investigation continued.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A media frenzy erupts every time what appears to be police brutality is captured on video. While such instances are rare, given that there are some 800,000 law enforcement officers in this country, the public is left with the impression that police brutality is quite common.
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