A Sarasota, Florida police officer has been put on leave by his superiors after a video surfaced showing him exercising excessive force on a citizen. Last week, 46-year-old George Floyd was killed as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the back of his neck. Floyd pleaded for his life, cried out for his mother, and repeatedly said he couldn't breathe. Witnesses begged Chauvin to move his knee over while three other officers held Floyd's body down or were complicit and didn't say anything as Floyd suffocated for nearly nine minutes.
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On Monday, a white officer who wasn't identified was shown in a recently released video arresting a 27-year-old black man named Patrick Carroll. The Sarasota Police Department shared details of the arrest, stating the Carroll was being detained after allegedly violently assaulting a woman. According to USA Today, Carroll "was later charged with felony possession of ammunition by a convicted felon."
After Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino was shown the clip of the arrest and the officer kneeling on the back of Carroll's neck, the unidentified officer was reportedly put on leave. “Chief DiPino was disturbed to see an officer kneeling on the head and neck of an individual in the video,” SPD said in a statement. “While it appears the officer eventually moves his leg to the individual’s back, this tactic is not taught, used or advocated by our agency.”
The person filming told the arresting officers, “You got your knee on my man’s neck, man, on his neck, bro.” At the time of his arrest, police reportedly stated Carroll didn't complain of any injuries and didn't require medical attention. However, in a recent interview, Carroll stated that he was pushed to the ground while asking why he was being detained and suffers from asthma and scoliosis. Watch below.
