John Jefferson
An Arkansas cop has been fired after he was caught on video brutalizing a handcuffed man in the backseat of a patrol vehicle, punching the detainee in the face, smashing his elbow into his temple, and slamming the car door on his head after he appears to pass out.
On Friday, the Jonesboro Police Department released footage of the horrifying Aug. 8 incident, in which Officer Joseph Tucker Harris can be seen walking back to the car, flinging open the door, and grinding a metal baton into Billy Lee Coram’s sternum until he comes to, shrieking in pain. Harris then slams the door on Coram’s head again as the 42-year-old, wearing a hospital gown, can be seen writhing in agony. Coram had earlier tried to strangle himself with his seatbelt, the video shows.
On August 9, the Jonesboro PD issued a statement saying it had received a complaint about the incident, which “necessitated prompt action.”
“Following an internal review of the incident, it was determined that the officer involved, Joseph Harris, should be terminated effective immediately,” the statement said.
Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott told local news station KAIT that Harris’ behavior was “unbecoming, unprofessional, and it was conduct that I’m not gonna tolerate… There was no pausing and stopping to think on what to do next.”
Elliott met with community leaders on Monday night at the New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The event was organized by the Craighead County NAACP.
Coram was processed into the Craighead County Jail on August 7 on felony escape charges originating in another jurisdiction, according to a review of booking records. Last Friday, he told jail staff he had swallowed an unknown amount of fentanyl, after which he was taken to the hospital. While there, Coram, who is being held on $25,000 bail, allegedly walked away, prompting a search for the missing detainee. Harris eventually apprehended Coram nearby, and was taking him back to jail when the ugly incident occurred.
Elliott told the Associated Press on Monday that the video left him “shocked and appalled.”
“Wrong is wrong,” he said. “There’s not really anything to investigate.”
Elliott said he has referred the case to local prosecutors and has contacted the FBI. He is also planning to push for Harris to be decertified by the state, so he cannot again serve as a law enforcement officer.
In July 2022, Harris was briefly suspended without pay from the Jonesboro PD after slamming a man to the ground outside an area nightclub. He was required to undergo additional training in de-escalation and use of force policies.
This June, Harris was named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit reviewed by The Independent. It accuses Harris of neglecting Brock Tyner, a mentally ill man who said he had taken PCP and was pleading for help.
“Please help me!” Tyner shouted from the back of the squad car, as he smashed his head against the window, according to the lawsuit. “I’ll never f*****g do drugs again!”
Harris and his partner should have known Tyner needed medical intervention, but took him to jail, instead, the lawsuit states.
“Tyner then died,” it goes on. “Had Defendants transported Tyner to the emergency room, he would not have died.”
The family is asking for a jury trial and a minimum of $1 million in damages.
Harris does not have a working phone number listed in public records and was unable to be reached on Tuesday. Billy Lee Coram is due back in court on September 27.
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