Attorney for Arkansas deputies claims more video in Mulberry excessive force arrest

An attorney for Randal Ray Worcester, 27, who was beaten during an arrest in Mulberry, Arkansas Sunday, said Worcest is now out of the jail in the county where the "horrendous" arrest happened.

And an attorney for two deputies has responded to the video that shows the arrest and beating of Worcester.

Worcester was punched multiple times and kneed in the side during an arrest caught on video. Deputies Levi White and Zack King and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle are seen in the video on top of Worcester.

David Powell, a Fort Smith attorney, said family members helped Worcester post $15,000 bail and walk out of the Crawford County Jail Monday afternoon.

"Our primary goal was to get him out, to get him out of the same detention center in the same county where he endured what we all saw on the 30 second clip," Powell said.

Russell Wood, a Russellville attorney, released a statement Monday on behalf of White and King, the two deputies in the video. He said the sheriff's department has more video that has not been released.

"There is another video from the Mulberry Police Department’s patrol unit that shows the full, unedited version of events that occurred and this has not been released," Wood reports.

Deputy White was responding to a person matching the description of a suspect that threatened to cut a woman’s face off with his knife, Wood states.

Wood states that Worcester provided a false identity to the deputies.

"While checking this false identity, the suspect became irate and viciously attacked deputy White by grabbing him by the legs, lifting him up and body slamming him, head first, on the concrete parking lot," according to the statement.

Wood reports that White struck his head on the concrete and the suspect then got on top of White and began striking him in the back of the head and face. White was "incapacitated momentarily but remembers getting repeatedly hit in the head and then seeing the suspect fighting with Corporal King and the Mulberry officer."

"Such a violent suspect cannot be allowed to remain unrestrained and all necessary force is authorized to arrest this type of violent suspect. The amount of force authorized under the law is always relative to the offense the suspect commits," Wood states.

White suffered a concussion as result of the attack, circular swelling and bruising above his right eye and is currently suffering from concussion symptoms.

There is video from a dashboard-mounted camera from a Mulberry police car, Wood states.

"I have requested release of the full Mulberry dash cam but have not received a response to my request. I understand that edited, video snippets are the new rage for social media and the news channels, but these deputies deserve the full truth to come out," Wood stated.

Wood said the Southern States Police Benevolent Association supports the deputies.

Meanwhile, Worcester plans to stay with a relative in Oklahoma. Powell said he will work to get any charges filed against Worcester dismissed in Crawford County.

Police in Alma said he had threatened a convenience store employee before riding a bicycle to Mulberry where he was confronted by the officers.

On Sunday, Aug. 21, Worcester was jailed on complaints of second degree burglary, resisting arrest, refusal to submit, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, terroristic threats and second degree assault.

Worcester has been in good spirits, despite the arrest. It was not his first involving law officers.

Worcester is currently serving a three-year suspended sentence out of Cleveland County, Oklahoma where he was charged in July 2021 with assault and battery on an Oklahoma City police officer and obstruction of a police officer, court records show

During the arrest in Mulberry he suffered several injuries to his head, elbows and knees, Powell said.

"What he went through yesterday (Sunday) was horrific. He's complained of neck pain today, but overall he is in good spirits," Powell said. "We're very happy to see him out of custody at this point."

Powell said he thinks any charges filed against Powell in Crawford County could be dismissed.

"Going forward we will have meetings with the local DA, the local sheriff's office and hopefully getting this resolved," Powell said. "The number one goal that we have on our wish list is that we can actually get this entire case dismissed and put behind him.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Mulberry, Arkansas arrest video: Deputies' attorney claims other video