Police in Alabama say an internal review has found that an officer violated policy by repeatedly stomping on the leg of a man during an arrest attempt
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama police officer who was captured on video repeatedly stomping on the leg of a man during an arrest attempt violated policy and will face disciplinary review, an internal investigation found.
The Huntsville Police Department said it looked at multiple videos in determining that actions by the officer, who hasn’t been publicly identified, didn’t reflect departmental standards or training, news outlets reported.
Video that was broadcast through Facebook Live on Sunday night showed an officer repeatedly stomping on the leg of a man who was struggling with another officer during an arrest.
The video began with an unidentified man and a uniformed officer on the floor of a convenience store. The officer appeared to be attempting to get the man to roll over so he could be handcuffed when another officer rushed in and stomped on the man’s right leg five times, yelling, “Stop resisting!” with each blow.
Other officers entered and the man eventually was shown handcuffed and walking with officers under his own power.
Kemontae Kentarieus Hobbs, 22, was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing government operations. The man’s mother and an attorney for the family said he suffers from schizophrenia. A cashier had called police after he asked someone for money.
The officer will be referred to Police Chief Mark McMurray for disciplinary review, the department said. The statement did not outline any possible outcomes.
Local activists cited the stomping in asking the Justice Department to review the department. McMurray has publicly defended another officer who recently was convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of a man in 2018.
