Bodycam video has been released in Phoenix, Arizona, following the violent arrest of a Black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, amplifying class from local activists to drop the criminal charges that were brought against him.

Tyron McAlpin stands charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest following an incident in August that the video footage showed him being repeatedly punched and tased by two Phoenix police officers. McAlpin’s attorneys argue that the charges are baseless and assert that the officers should be held accountable for their unlawful use of force.

The bodycam video shows the officers questioning a man who claimed McAprin assaulted him at a Circle-K gas before fleeing. When the man identifies McAlpin, the video shows the officers — identified as Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue — approached violently and struck McApring immediately before raining down punches and tasing him.

The video follows below. It is graphic and should be viewed with discretion.

Sarah Tyree, president of the NAACP’s Arizona conference, told ABC 15 Arizona that “Disgust” sums up her feelings about what happened to McAlpin and added that it was “just another stark reminder of where we are.”

More from ABC 15 Arizona:

The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing said the whole situation was “deeply disheartening” and “unwarranted.”

“We underscore the imperative need for greater awareness, sensitivity, and training when engaging with individuals with disabilities,” the ACDHH wrote in a statement posted online.

The commission also said they provided the state’s police training board with specific training but they recently learned those “modules are not being provided.”

ACLU Arizona joined other organizations by saying McAlpin’s arrest definitively proves that the DOJ needs to place Phoenix police under federal oversight.

“This is yet another very troubling example of Phoenix police resorting to excessive violence when interacting with people who clearly pose no threat to them,” said Jared Keenan, an ACLU attorney. “I think this shows that not only are the findings in the DOJ report not being taken seriously by officers individually, I think they’re not being taken seriously at the top levels of the Phoenix Police Department, and they’re certainly not being taken seriously by the Mayor and City Council.”

According to a police incident report obtained by ABC 15 Arizona, McAlpin was arrested on Aug. 19, 2024, after he allegedly attempted to steal a bike from a white man named Derek Stevens at the Circle-K gas station. Officers Harris and Sue, responding to the incident, located McAlpin at a nearby Dollar Tree store based on Stevens’ description. The report claimed that McAlpin “engaged in active aggression,” swinging punches at the officers with closed fists.

McAlpin was punched and tased during his arrest.

McAlpin’s lawyers assert that he was punched in the head at least 10 times and tased four times before the officers wrapped their arms around his neck. In their report, officers Sue and Harris claimed that McAlpin failed to comply with their demands. However, McAlpin’s attorneys contend that body camera footage and surveillance video contradict the officers’ statements, pointing out a clear reason for his inability to comply.

“It’s hard for me to see how the city can come out and say with [a] straight face that it is meeting the DOJ report head-on when this man is being charged with assault on police officers for this incident,” said Jesse Showalter, one of McAlpin’s attorneys.

“The answer is easy. He’s deaf. He couldn’t understand what they were doing. And he had done nothing wrong,” Showalter continued. “Everything I see in that video is Tyron just trying to avoid being harmed by these officers and that only makes them increase the escalation and the violence that they’re using.”

Stevens may have lied on McAlpin, lawyers say.

McAlpin’s attorneys are urging Phoenix and the Department of Justice to assess the need for federal oversight of the police department. They contend that issues such as racial bias, excessive force, inappropriate use of tasers and chokeholds, and violations of the rights of individuals with disabilities must be addressed.

There are also concerns regarding the veracity of Stevens’ allegations against McAlpin. According to ABC 15 Arizona, Circle K employees reported that Stevens was causing disturbances and refused to leave the store prior to McAlpin’s arrest in August. During the incident, Stevens claimed he was assaulted by a Black man and pointed to McAlpin across the street. His “assault claim was later refuted by store employees and surveillance video, records show,” the outlet noted.

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