A deaf Black man with cerebral palsy is now suing for $3.5 million, after he was reportedly beaten and tased by three Phoenix Police Department officers earlier this year.
On Aug. 19, a store attendant called police about a white man trespassing at the gas station. When police arrived, the trespasser allegedly redirected them to Tyron McAlpin, claiming he was attacked by McAlpin, USA Today reported.
Officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue reportedly ran out and grabbed McAlpin, who was pointing to his ears to signify he could not hear what the officers were telling him, and tased him four times. They then allegedly took turns punching him more than a dozen times.
Officer Jorge Acosta, who is also named in the lawsuit, then allegedly assisted Harris and Sue with creating a false report that alleged McAlpin committed aggravated assault and stole one of the officer's cellphones, per USA Today. As a result, he spent three weeks in jail before charges were dropped.
"The City of Phoenix has created a culture of impunity within its police department and has trained officers to escalate ordinary encounters by using unnecessary and unjustified force," a notice of claim filed by McAlpin's lawyer stated.
Tyron McAlpin, the deaf Black man with cerebral palsy who was falsely accused of assault by Phoenix police, says he tried to point to his ears to tell officers he couldn’t hear them before he was punched 10+ times and tased 4x. This brutality remains unconscionable! pic.twitter.com/o8GRd0soDU
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) November 23, 2024
Footage of the incident was released on Oct. 1, prompting an investigation, and the three involved officers were also put on paid leave.
"I recognize the video is disturbing and raises a lot of questions. I want to assure the community we will get answers to those questions," interim police Chief Michael Sullivan said in a previous statement.
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