A Florida police sergeant has been relieved of his supervisory responsibilities and is under investigation after he was filmed grabbing an officer by her throat, according to officials.
Sunrise police shared body camera video of the Nov. 19 incident with NBC News, but the footage was muted with faces blurred, except for the sergeant’s.
Police officers were arresting a “verbally and physically resistive” suspect, accused of a violent felony, when the unidentified sergeant arrived and became aggressive with him, Sunrise Police Chief Anthony W. Rosa said in a statement.
The sergeant engaged in a verbal altercation with the suspect sitting inside a patrol vehicle and “escalated†the encounter, according to the chief.
The police body camera footage showed the sergeant ducking his head inside the patrol vehicle to talk to the suspect and holding a can of pepper spray, though he did not deploy it.
Rosa called the sergeant’s behavior “inappropriate and unprofessional†and said he “unnecessarily elevated the demeanor of the suspect.”
A concerned officer ran toward the sergeant and pulled him by the back of his duty belt, Rosa said.
