Deaf Man with Cerebral Palsy Claims He Was Violently Arrested by Phoenix Police
A deaf man with cerebral palsy, who was violently arrested by Phoenix police officers in August, claims he tried to communicate his disability before being punched and tasered. Tyron McAlpin, a Black man, said he made several attempts to alert the officers that he was deaf, but was met with force and confusion during the encounter.
The incident began when officers responded to a call about a man causing trouble at a Circle K convenience store. Initially, the suspect was described as a white male, but later a different man, who was Black, was falsely identified by another suspect. McAlpin was the one pointed out, despite store employees and surveillance footage disputing the claim.
McAlpin, in a statement through an interpreter, explained that he had tried to signal to the officers that he couldn’t hear by pointing to his ears. However, his attempts were ignored as the officers physically restrained him. He later recounted feeling the emotional and physical toll of the encounter when speaking with a medical worker, mentioning difficulty seeing from his left eye and pain in his neck and chest.
Body camera footage released after the arrest revealed that the officers involved had a clear description of the original suspect, a white male, yet McAlpin was detained. Employees at the store explained to officers that McAlpin was a regular customer who had tried to help them when the disturbance occurred, not the aggressor.
After the incident, one of the officers involved, Ben Harris, claimed in court that he injured his hand while trying to regain control of McAlpin’s arm. The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation is underway.
McAlpin was initially charged with felony assault and resisting arrest, but on October 17, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell dropped all charges after a review of the case. Mitchell stated that she personally examined video footage, police reports, and other materials, and convened a gathering of senior attorneys and community members to discuss the case.
The released body camera footage shows McAlpin being ordered to the ground by the officers, with no immediate compliance from him. The officers then proceeded to punch him multiple times and use a taser on him while demanding he put his hands behind his back. McAlpin’s attorney, Jesse Showalter, argued that McAlpin, being deaf, could not hear the commands and did not understand what was happening. He hoped the dropped charges would prompt further action based on the disturbing video evidence.
In response to the video, Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan assured the public that an internal investigation was underway, and that the findings would be thoroughly reviewed by multiple oversight bodies. He emphasized the need for patience as the process unfolded.
At the time of the investigation, no charges had been made against the white man who falsely accused McAlpin.
