DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — New video has been released showing what happened to a man who says he was beaten while in Dauphin County custody.
Jarrett Leaman is suing Harrisburg Police, Dauphin County Booking, and multiple officers for use of excessive force after a 2019 public drunkenness arrest.
During that arrest, Leaman says officers assaulted him, denied him medical care, and even used his PayPal account while he was in jail.
It’s alleged that Leaman, who claims he was not resisting, was pummeled to the cement floor by a corrections officer and then had another corrections officer’s knees pushed into his neck and back for more than two minutes. He was then placed in a correctional roll-in-chair with straps and was allegedly punched, kicked and assaulted until he was in his cell.
The lawsuit adds that a nurse came into the cell, looked at his face which was covered in a spit mask — even though, the lawsuit claims, he wasn’t spitting or resisting — and walked away. Later, a nurse examined Leaman’s eye while he was unconscious.
The next thing Leaman remembers is waking up before 5 a.m. in a cell at Dauphin County Prison.
The lawsuit claims that Leaman saw blood in his cell and in and around the toilet. His face and eyes were swollen, bloody and disfigured, and he was covered in bruises and cuts from head to toe.
Leaman was released sometime before 5:30 a.m. so that he could obtain medical attention. It’s noted that Leaman received a series of test, including X-rays and an MRI, and was informed that he suffered a fractured orbital bone and other medical injuries.
The newly released footage provided by his lawyer seems to show officers kicking and punching Leaman while he is on the ground, and kneeling on his neck.
The case was previously investigated by Dauphin County DA Fran Chardo who allegedly told PennLive that Leaman was not subjected to excessive force, according to Leaman's lawyers.
Leaman's lawyer also noted that one of the officers named in the lawsuit has had a history of excessive force and was disciplined for it in the past.
That officer, Christopher Mackie, has since resigned.
Kurt Knaus, spokesman for the City of Harrisburg, released the following statement to FOX43:
“The actions by Harrisburg Police Officer Christopher Mackie are inexcusable. After the incident occurred in June 2019, he was taken off the street and placed on desk duty. He has not been a member of the city’s Bureau of Police since September 2019, when he resigned during internal investigations into this case. We appreciate everything our city police officers do to ensure public safety. These are difficult, demanding jobs. But Officer Mackie’s actions crossed a line in terms of what we expect of the conduct of Harrisburg police. We regret this incident occurred and continue to work toward a resolution that is fair to Jarrett Leaman and the taxpayers of Harrisburg.”
Leaman is expected to file an amended complaint on Thursday.