Tyron McAlpin, a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy, had all charges against him dismissed by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. He was initially charged with assault and resisting arrest after a police incident where he was shocked with a Taser and punched by officers. The arrest stemmed from an incident at a Circle K convenience store where McAlpin was accused of stealing a man’s phone. However, Mitchell reviewed the case and decided to dismiss all charges due to concerns raised by the local NAACP chapter and after reviewing various video recordings and police reports.
New body cam footage released by the Phoenix Police Department raised questions about the arrest, as McAlpin’s attorney argued that his client is deaf and could not comply with verbal commands given by the officers. The video showed officers repeatedly punching McAlpin and shocking him with a Taser during the arrest.
McAlpin’s attorney plans to file a lawsuit if he does not receive additional videos, including footage from interviews with store workers who refuted the assault claim made by the man McAlpin was accused of assaulting. The incident is another example of the excessive force and discrimination highlighted by a Justice Department investigation that found the Phoenix Police Department unlawfully targets Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities.
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