PHOENIX — Two Phoenix police officers have been placed on administrative leave after video shows the officers kicking a handcuffed suspect.
The incident took place Thursday night at a QT near 59th Avenue and Buckeye Road.
According to police, 38-year-old Harry Denman was speaking to the officers in the parking lot when the officers started to leave to respond to a call.
As they were backing out of a spot, Denman pulled out a handgun and allegedly fired twice at the vehicle from behind it. One bullet hit the ground, the other hit the vehicle's spotlight, according to officers.
Denman then ran into the business, still armed, and officers followed.
Video taken by a citizen, then shows Denman being taken into custody. As the man is dropping to the ground with his hands up, one officer forces him down and he hits his head on a cabinet. Both officers hit the man in the back of the head with their gun barrels. After the man is handcuffed, he is kicked again.
Denman suffered injuries during the altercation and was hospitalized and then booked into jail on several charges.
Neither of the officers suffered injuries in the incident.
Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan, who was sworn in last week, says both officers have been placed on leave while the department investigates the video.
“On Friday, at my swearing in, I challenged my command staff to guide our department to be self-assessing and self-correcting and to never ignore misconduct. As soon as additional information regarding this incident came to my attention, immediate action was taken,” said Chief Michael Sullivan. “What is depicted in the video is not how we train and is not aligned with the core values of the Phoenix Police Department.”
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