By Police1 Staff
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas police department released body cam footage of an arrest that caused public outcry.
Fort Worth police made the footage public Tuesday after a bystander’s video of officers arresting 35-year-old Forrest Curry sparked backlash, according to the Associated Press. Assistant Police Chief Charles Ramirez said the video “provides insight into the erratic behavior and active resistance” by Curry.
On Saturday, police were dispatched to meet an ambulance crew on a public-intoxication call at an apartment complex. Emergency medical personnel told police Curry was on K2 and “swinging at them” as they tried to help him.
The officers ordered Curry to put his hands behind his back, which the suspect refused to do. During the ensuing struggle captured on video, one officer kneels on Curry’s back and appears to punch him while another officer knees him in the abdomen.
Ramirez told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the officer who punched Curry delivered “distraction strikes” to the suspect and that he was doing what he was trained to do.
One punch appeared to strike the back of Curry’s head. Ramirez explained that the officer was using a technique that is only used when a suspect fails to follow verbal orders and continues to resist. Curry was later charged with resisting officers and evading arrest.
“As you can see, he’s resisting the whole time,” Ramirez said. “The officers showed a lot of restraint. They are young officers and did what we expected them to do. This shows what the officers were actually dealing with.”
Protest groups in the Dallas-area led a march to a City Council meeting to denounce the incident. The march came despite Chief Joel Fitzgerald saying Monday that the department would review the officers’ actions.