Video appears to show Orange County deputy punch man in struggle to detain him
Video appears to show Orange County deputy punch man in struggle to detain him
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it is aware of and reviewing recorded cell phone video of a recent struggle between a deputy and another man that appears to show the deputy punch the man in the head and place him in a headlock. The man, however, is accused of fighting the deputy, kicking him in the face, and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff's office.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it is aware of and reviewing recorded cell phone video of a recent struggle between a deputy and another man that appears to show the deputy punching the man in the head and placing him in a headlock.
The man, however, is accused of fighting the deputy, kicking him in the face, and resisting arrest, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
According to the arrest report, Deputy Kyle Plavcan attempted to pull a man over – later identified as Raheen Ellis – on April 22, 2022, because the license plate on his car did not match the vehicle it was registered to.
Once pulled over, Ellis is accused of pushing the deputy and attempting to run away, according to the report.
The two-minute video shows the deputy and the man struggling with each other in the street. At one point, the man falls down and at another point, appears to attempt to pull away from the deputy. At another point in the video, the man attempts to climb up over a curb and is seemingly punched by the deputy. Seconds later, the man can be seen holding onto a utility pole as the deputy places him in a headlock.
"I don't even know what to say, it's so bad. All's I know is it's detrimental and it's wrong, and I'm just glad that I made it, and out this situation," said Ellis in an interview with FOX 35.
Orange County said Ellis kicked the deputy in the face. That is now shown in the video, which was shared with FOX 35.
Ellis and the deputy were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. Ellis was released and booked into jail on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
He told FOX 35 that he was trying to surrender. "As you can see from the video, I'm just standing there. I'm getting choked and punched and choked," he said.
Soop Esam works nearby and said he witnessed the struggle. "I saw them tussling. The officer punch(ed) him two times, put him in a chokehold. The kid was trying to run away. I also did see the officer bleeding on his wrist about right here," he said.
The sheriff's office said a search of state records showed that Ellis does not have a valid driver's license and has never had one in Florida.
The agency's guideline on use-of-force states that "the use of neck restraints are prohibited, except for deadly force situations."