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Officers who punched Arizona man: He was prepping to fight

Posted at 12:30 PM, Jun 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-07 15:30:57-04

Police involved in the beating of an Arizona man who on video doesn't appear to resist or attack officers say his body language was projecting that he was prepping to fight.

A report from the May 23 incident in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa states the man, 33-year-old Robert Johnson, was "verbally defiant and confrontational."
    
But Johnson's attorney says his client was not a threat and had already been searched.
    
The incident was captured on a surveillance camera at the apartment complex where it happened. Mesa police on Wednesday afternoon released their own footage from police-worn cameras.
    
The audio-free surveillance footage shows Johnson standing against a wall, looking at his phone. Officers approach Johnson and punch him numerous times. They pull him to the ground and flip him over. Johnson never appears to threaten or resist the officers.