Florida Cop Placed On Leave After Pinning Down Black Man’s Neck In Custody

A Florida cop was put on administrative leave after a video was released of him on Monday (June 1) kneeling down on a black man’s neck following an arrest.

The unidentified white police officer from the Sarasota Police Department was given disciplinary action after a video of an arrest made on May 18 tagged to department officials on Monday and showed him pinning down a black man by the neck was the New York Post reported.

A helicopter shot the unedited video of the incident released by the department which showed the officer kneeling on the suspect’s neck who struggled with two other cops while he was being taken into custody.

According to the same report, the department released a statement on Monday and said that Sarasota Police chief Bernadette DiPino was disturbed upon seeing the footage.

“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 statement said.

On May 18, 27-year-old Patrick Carroll of Sarasota was taken into custody following a police response to a domestic battery call which had a woman reporting to have had a “physical altercation” with the suspect because he reportedly went to her home because his children were there and refused to leave, the New York Post reported.

The police report stated that Carroll grabbed the woman’s hair and face during the incident which resulted to bruises and swelling on her arm, face and chest.

Carroll denied assaulting the woman, however, he was charged with felony possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, resisting arrest and domestic violence.

He was taken to jail after the incident and was released the next day.

Carroll reportedly did not need any medical attention following the incident.

The arrest was also witnessed by a bystander who took a cellphone video while reprimanding the officers, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

“You got your knee on my man’s neck, man, on his neck, bro,” the witness told police in the video.

The cop can be then seen adjusting his position from Carroll’s neck to his back while the two other officers looked on.

The witness’ video has been removed or made private.

According to the Sarasota Police, they received no complaints from the public regarding the video, but regardless, they are taking the investigation seriously and are requesting additional video footage of the incident.

Carroll’s arrest happened just a week before the death of George Floyd, 46, allegedly in the hands of an officer in Minneapolis which caused a nationwide outrage in behalf of the black community.

Floyd, a black man, was arrested for forging documents in a deli on May 25 and one of the cops who apprehended him, Derek Chauvin, allegedly knelt on his neck, pinning him down to the ground for several minutes even after he lost consciousness and paramedics were called to the scene.

After Floyd’s death, countless protests were held all over the U.S. and some escalated into violent riots and looting which resulted to property destruction, injuries and casualties on the sides of both protesters and law enforcement.

According to the Star Tribune, Chauvin was charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.