After widespread outrage over videos showing two police officers beating a deaf Black man, the police union responded again that the officers were defending themselves ― and claimed media coverage of the incident amounted to a “smear campaign.” Tyron McAlpin, a 34-year-old who also has cerebral palsy, was punched and shocked with a Taser by two Phoenix Police Department officers on Aug. 19 as they tried to stop him in connection with a reported assault.
But McAlpin had nothing to do with any assault, his attorney told HuffPost, adding that witnesses described the white man who accused him as behaving bizarrely. Then this week, the release of surveillance and body camera footage brought new scrutiny of the officers’ actions, and the Maricopa County Attorney announced that all charges against McAlpin would be dismissed based on what the videos showed. He had spent 24 days in jail.
Despite the prosecutor’s decision, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, the union that represents about 2,200 officers, continues to defend the actions of officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue. “It is unfortunate that a narrative was created accusing these officers of targeting Mr. McAlpin due to his race and disabilities,” the police union said in a statement to the broadcasting group Arizona’s Family .
“This is completely false and an inaccurate portrayal of what occurred in real time as the officers encountered Mr. McAlpin.” The beating of McAlpin comes just months after the.
