A Police sergeant is under investigation after he was filmed grabbing a junior officer by her throat.
Police Sgt. Christopher Pullease, 46, put his hand on the throat of a younger female officer who intervened when the sergeant aimed pepper spray at a suspect who was already in handcuffs.
The said incident happened on November 19, 2021, when they are assigned to respond to an emergency call about a man who was attacking people outside of a convenience store.
Police officers were arresting a “verbally and physically resistive” suspect, who was not named, for aggravated battery after he allegedly hit people outside a convenience store.
The Sunrise Police Department recently released the body camera video of the November 19, 2021 incident, and Sunrise Police Chief Anthony Rosa said that the department turned off the sound and obscured almost all of the faces in the footage except for that of the police sergeant.
Chief Rosa said: “As officers were getting the handcuffed suspect into a patrol vehicle, the sergeant arrived and became aggressive with the suspect.”
According to Rosa, sergeant Pullease engaged in a verbal altercation with the suspect sitting inside the car and “escalated” the encounter. The body camera video showed the sergeant leaning into the car to talk to the suspect and holding a can of pepper spray. The police chief said the sergeant “aimed” the pepper spray at the suspect, though he did not deploy it.
A 28-year-old concerned officer who was with the force for 2 years ran toward the sergeant and pulled him by the back of his duty belt. The sergeant turned around while backpedaling as he was pulled by the female officer.
He then momentarily places his hand at the throat of the officer and pushes her backward, until her back hits a nearby police vehicle, according to the clip and the statement from the chief. The sergeant then walks away.
Chief Rosa told WSVN: “I find it to be inappropriate and unprofessional because what he did is he escalated the situation when calm was actually required. I am very proud of the officer involve in this incident and believe that the actions taken were definitive and demonstrative of good leadership during a tense situation.”
In a local TV station interview, Rosa was asked why Sgt. Pullease hasn’t already been charged in the three months since the incident, with a reporter pointing out that any civilian who put their hands on an officer’s throat would face charges.
Chief Rosa answered: “There are some details of the investigation that I’ve not disclosed, that I’m unable to disclose right now, and if any of the information that comes up during the investigation rises to a level of criminal behavior or criminal conduct, then we’ll address it appropriately.”
Sgt. Pullease already had two previous allegations of excessive force nearly 20 years ago but was cleared on both, the sergeant has been placed on desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation and no charges have been filed against him.
Chief Rosa told WSVN: “I find this behavior to be disgusting. I think the video speaks for itself.”
The incident has created a conflict within the department, with the police union defending the sergeant while the police chief criticized Sgt. Pullease and praised the female officer for her efforts to de-escalate a confrontation during the arrest.