Phoenix police officers on paid leave during investigation of violent Tyron McAlpin arrest

Two Phoenix Police Officers are on paid leave while the agency investigates their involvement in the violent arrest of a Black, deaf man with cerebral palsy .

A spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department confirmed Tuesday that officers Benjamin Harris and Kyle Sue were on administrative leave during an inquiry into their arrest of Tyron McAlpin.

Harris and Sue had been responding to a trespassing call at a Circle K near Indian School Road and 12th Street in August. The white man they were asked to remove from the store claimed he had been attacked and pointed out a Black man — McAlpin — across the street.

Harris told McAlpin to stop and then grabbed him within seconds, footage shows. There was a struggle among the men, during which Harris used a stun gun on McAlpin four times. The officers punched him over a dozen times.

McAlpin was facing aggravated assault charges over the interaction, but County Attorney Rachel Mitchell dropped the charges after reviewing the incident .

Video footage of the incident was released at a court hearing on Oct. 1 and has prompted public concern, criticism from local leaders and national attention.

An internal police department investigation is pending. The department’s interim chief, Michael Sullivan, said he would personally review that inquiry's findings.

The violent arrest comes four months after the U.S. Department of Justice slammed the Phoenix Police Department for civil rights violations including that officers systematically used unlawful force .

Republic reporters Maritza Dominguez , Miguel Torres, and Taylor Seely contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police officers on paid leave during investigation of violent Tyron McAlpin arrest