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 today, but the footage was muted with faces blurred, except for the sergeant’s. Florida statute only allows for still photos of police officers to be blurred. There was no explanation given for why the video was muted.
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.