Arkansas Deputies Arrested After Punching And Kicking Suspect

Video posted online showed 27-year-old Randal Worcester being beaten by two law enforcement officers while a third held him down.

August 24, 2022

Andrew DeMillo via Associated Press

Federal officials have launched a civil rights investigation into the violence against 27-year-old Randal Worcester of Goose Creek, South Carolina, which was caught on camera by a bystander. On Aug. 21, 2022, video surfaced that showed Worcester being severely beaten by two law enforcement officers while a third one held him down, reported NPR.

In the 34-second video, Worcester is shown being repeatedly punched on the head as he’s beaten on the ground outside the Kountry Xpress market in Mulberry, Arkansas. One of the officers is shown lifting the victim’s head and pounding it into the parking lot pavement.

At one point, a bystander called out for them to stop hitting the man in the head, and a police officer ordered the person who was filming the violence to stop recording.

According to NPR, Carrie Jernigan, an attorney for Worcester, stated, "The fight was escalating with those officers, and you hear that woman on that video yelling and whoever that is, I think she could have saved his life.”

The Crawford County Sheriff's Office revealed that the three law enforcement officials who were involved are Deputy Zack King, Deputy Levi White, and Mulberry Officer Thell Riddle. They have been removed from duty and are suspended with pay, reported CNN.

Police had originally been called to the scene in response to reports of a man making threats. NBC News reported that Worcester was hospitalized for injuries and then jailed. He faces multiple charges, including second-degree battery and resisting arrest.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called what the responding officers did "reprehensible conduct." He added, "That response was not consistent with the training that they receive. This is not what our law enforcement community represents. It's not the proper response."

“I hope they burn,” Eric Wedding, Worcester’s stepdad who helped raise him from the age of three, told the Daily Beast after the video went viral. He noted that the case must be highlighted by the media, adding, “Enough is enough.”

Next Up

Man Sentenced For Beating College Student To Death With A Piano Leg

On Sept. 20, 2004, Rebekah Gould, 22, answered the door to a man who asked to use her phone. A week later, her body was found dumped on the side of the road. Her case went cold for over a decade and a half.

Footage Shows Bar Patrons Tackling Austin Attorney After He Pulls Gun On His Ex-Girlfriend

Just days after 41-year-old Gavin Edward Rush was arrested for pointing a gun at his ex-girlfriend at the bar where she worked, he was found dead by police.

Turpin House Of Horrors: Timeline Of How 13 Siblings Suffered Years Of Torture And Abuse

David and Louise Turpin were sentenced to prison after admitting they starved, beat, and chained up their children.

Arizona Woman Helps Save Herself During Kidnapping By Passing Note To A Stranger

After being kidnapped by a man disguised as an Uber driver, a woman helped save herself by passing a note to a stranger at an Arizona gas station asking them to call 911.

An Arizona Man Is Freed From Death Row After 29 Years In Prison

After nearly 29 years on death row, 64-year-old Barry Jones was freed to spend his first Father’s Day with his children in decades.

California Woman Who Went Missing After Concert Found In Freezer Inside Rental Truck

The cold case of Denise Huber was cracked after a woman “felt a spirit pulling her" to a truck and wrote down the license plate number.

Former Pastor Charged After Confessing To Abducting, Killing 8-Year-Old Girl In 1975

The 1975 disappearance and murder of 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington remained a devastating mystery for her family and loved ones for nearly five decades until July 2023 when an arrest was finally made.

Charlotte Family Fights For Justice After A Young Woman Mysteriously Died On Vacation With Friends

On Oct. 28, 2022, Shanquella Robinson left her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, to enjoy a trip with friends to Cabo. Within 24 hours of arriving in Mexico, she was dead.

Over Four Decades Later, Man Arrested For Sonoma Woman’s Brutal Murder

On June 27, 1983, 37-year-old Noelle Russo was beaten to death in Northern California. Just over 40 years later, authorities were finally able to make an arrest in the cold case.

'Lady Of The Dunes' Cold Case Closed After Her Husband Was Named The Killer

Ruth Marie Terry, a murder victim who was known only as the “Lady of the Dunes” for nearly 50 years, was identified, and now her husband has been named as her killer.