A cop in Connecticut was suspended for two weeks after he was caught on a cruiser camera beating an intoxicated man unconscious while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
Video released on Tuesday shows Wallingford police officer Joseph Smith beating handcuffed Gary Joseph King in the head after responding to a 911 call from a neighbor about “loud fighting.”
Smith can then be seen mauling King’s face as he lay unconscious.
Officers allege that during the call they had handcuffed King and were checking his pockets when King headbutted another officer, Anthony Baur, which was not captured on video.
Officers then attempt to subdue King, who was intoxicated, and place him in the back of a police cruiser.
Police claim King was physically resisting when officer Smith punches King’s head.
Smith’s punch renders King unconscious.
Police Chief William Wright said while the strike was excessive, the officers responded appropriately to the call.
“Everything up until the strike, everything is appropriate,” he said after reviewing the video.
“And then thereafter the strike, everything is appropriate. They (sic) lended the due care that was necessary. It was that moment in time that, in an attempt to finally gain control of the situation, that the strike to the head took place that we can’t condone.”
The incident might have been swept under the rug had it not been for a supervisor discovering the video during a routine review.
When the supervisor observed the punch, he notified Chief Wright.
Wright then contacted the Connecticut States Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident.
However, the state attorney refused to file criminal charges against Smith.
As a result of the Wallingford Police Department’s internal investigation, officer Smith was suspended for a mere two weeks for his blatant use of excessive force.