NSW Police Are Under Fire For Tasering An Indigenous Man In The Face
The man was kneeling on the ground with his arms outstretched when police tasered him in the face at close range
Warning: Graphic content.
Police are again being accused of using excessive force after a video of an Indigenous man being tasered in the face during an arrest in Sydney yesterday went viral.
Video shows police pointing the taser at the 32-year-old man and yelling at him to get on the ground, as the man kneels before them with his hands outstretched.
One officer then tries to get him to lie down before the other grabs him by his hoodie, yanks him up, and tasers him in the face at close range.
He is then repeatedly tasered as he writhes around on the ground.
“I’m not even fighting you. Are you kidding me?” he asks the officers at one point.
Vision has emerged of a confronting arrest – a man repeatedly tasered at a park in inner Sydney. #9News pic.twitter.com/ArnfxNvHLu
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) June 22, 2020
The incident happened in Sydney’s eastern suburbs yesterday afternoon. Just before 1.30pm officers were patrolling Oxford Street in Darlinghurst when they approached the man and a woman.
NSW Police said as they approached the pair split up and they pursued the man, who was carrying a bag.
“As police attempted to arrest him, a taser was deployed,” they said. “He was arrested and taken to St Vincent’s Hospital for observation before being released and taken to Surry Hills Police Station.”
The man was charged after police located the bag, which allegedly contained stolen items. He was refused bail and is due to appear in court today.
The incident comes weeks after police from the same area command were filmed body slamming a 17-year-old Indigenous boy to the ground.
South Australian police have also come under scrutiny after a video shows them hitting an Indigenous man before arresting him in Adelaide last week. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
The man was riding his bike when he was stopped by police, who believed he was carrying drugs. No drugs were found, and police confirmed no drug-related charges have been laid.
Meanwhile, Western Australian police today revealed that an internal investigation into the arrest of another Indigenous teenager found the level of force was “necessary and not excessive“.
The incident, from 2018, shows the teen sitting with his hands cuffed behind his back before being grabbed by an officer and pulled to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the ground.
Junkee has contacted NSW Police to enquire about the use of force in yesterday’s incident, and to determine whether the officer involved will be investigated. We will update this story if a statement is provided.