Arkansas police officer fired after beating man in patrol car, officials say

An Arkansas police officer has been fired after video shows him allegedly beating a man handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.
In a statement posted to social media Aug. 9, the Jonesboro Police Department said it had received a complaint of an incident involving the officer of a “serious nature” from the previous evening.
“Following an internal review of the incident, it was determined that the officer involved, Joseph Harris, should be terminated effective immediately,” Jonesboro police said in the statement.
Jonesboro is located in northeast Arkansas, and is about 70 miles from Memphis, Tennessee.
Jonesboro police posted video of the incident online, which shows Harris allegedly beating a man who was handcuffed and sitting detained in the back of his patrol car wearing what looks like a hospital gown.
The FBI’s Little Rock office had opened a case regarding the incident, Sally Smith, a public information officer with the Jonesboro Police Department, told USA TODAY.
Ta’Kiya Young shooting:Ohio officer indicted in 2023 shooting death of pregnant woman near Columbus
In the video posted by the Jonesboro Police Department, the man can be heard telling officers he had swallowed a bag of fentanyl the day before, and thinks he will die unless he’s taken back to a hospital.
At one point, the video shows the man unbuckling his seatbelt and laying down in the back seat, before an officer opens the door and begins punching and elbowing the man’s head repeatedly.
Another officer, who police have not identified, checks on the man and asks if he is alright, but the man is unresponsive after the assault. The officer then closes the car door by his feet.
The first officer returns and seemingly rubs him roughly in the chest with a tool, which causes the man to twist and groan, and then closes the door on his head.
The car then begins to drive as the man, still laying down, continues to yell and groan in the back seat.
This is not the first time Harris has faced consequences for using force.
Two years ago, Harris received a 20-hour suspension without pay and further training from the police department for excessive force, Smith said.
He was additionally named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in June, Smith said.