Report: Officers kicked man accused in officer's killing, thinking he was hiding gun
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Police say they thought the accused killer of a Florida police lieutenant was hiding a gun in his waistband and feared for their safety as he crawled toward them following a weeklong manhunt.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that in 847 pages of court documents released Thursday, police officers revealed they thought 41-year-old Markeith Loyd wouldn't be taken into custody without a fight. The document show officers punched Loyd four times, kicked him five times and hit him with their rifles up to another five times before he was dragged to a cruiser and put in handcuffs belonging to Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton.
Loyd is accused of killing Clayton in January and his pregnant ex-girlfriend in December.
The officers involved are still under a pending use-of-force investigation.