A Florida police sergeant who was seen in physique digicam video grabbing one other officer by her throat final yr was charged with battery and assault on a legislation enforcement officer, officers stated Thursday.
Christopher Pullease, 47, was additionally charged with proof tampering and assaulting a civilian throughout the Nov. 19 incident, the Broward State Attorney’s workplace stated in an announcement.
Pullease, who was relieved of his supervisory duties in January, was accused of “intentionally touching or striking” the feminine officer in opposition to her will and assaulting her when he held pepper spray to her face, the assertion stated.
The assault cost in opposition to the civilian, who was being arrested on what authorities described as a violent felony when the incident occurred, was prompted by Pullease holding the spray to the man’s face, the prosecutor’s workplace stated.
A possible trigger affidavit obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel accused Pullease of attempting to “impair” his cellphone for his use in a felony trial.
In the video, which was muted and blurred by the police division to guard an inside investigation, Pullease will be seen showing to speak to the suspect, who is handcuffed and in the again of a patrol automotive.
The feminine officer will be seen approaching him and grabbing his responsibility belt in an obvious try to drag him away, in line with Sunrise Police Chief Anthony Rosa.
The video exhibits Pullease wheel round and briefly seize the officer by her throat whereas pushing her backward into one other patrol automotive. He doesn’t seem to deploy the pepper spray.
In a January assertion, Rosa stated the sergeant, who he didn’t title, arrived at the scene and approached the suspect, who Rosa described as “verbally and physically resistive.”
Pullease “approached and engaged in a verbal altercation with the suspect in a fashion that I really feel was inappropriate and unprofessional,” Rosa said. “This supervisor escalated the encounter as a substitute of de-escalating an emotionally charged state of affairs. It is our apply at the Sunrise Police Department to do every little thing we are able to to deescalate tense incidents and carry calm to chaos.”
Rosa also praised the female officer, noting that she was acting in accordance with department policies that call for intervention when there is an “imminent worry of engagements escalating unnecessarily.”
Rosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday and a message left on a phone number listed under Pullease’s name was not immediately returned. It wasn’t clear if he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
The native chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police additionally didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, however in a January statement obtained by a Florida TV station, WSVN, the union’s president denounced Rosa for “publicly ridiculing” Pullease while an internal probe was underway.
Pullease’s status at the department wasn’t immediately clear. If convicted, he faces five years in prison on the felony battery charge and five years for evidence tampering. He faces one year for the assault on an officer charge and 60 days for assault on a civilian.