A Dallas police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a video showed him punching a man in the face during a brawl in Deep Ellum. Viral video of the incident shows a large group of people fighting near Elm Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. Police are also conducting a criminal review of the case.
Officers of the Dallas Police Department arrived at the scene and began breaking up the fight. A man could be seen approaching as officers detained the people fighting. One of the officers instructed the man not to come closer. “Back up, back up, back your ass up,” the officer tells the man while trying to get him away from the scene. “Get off the [expletive] street.”
The camera then cuts away from the officer and the man briefly. When the camera pans back to both men, the officer could be seen shoving the man into a pole and proceeded to punch the man several times, with some of the punches connecting with the man’s face.
Two other officers present at the scene grabbed the officer and pulled him away. Officers also detained the man who was being punched. Authorities did not reveal the punching officer’s identity. They also declined to provide any details as to what led to the brawl or if an arrest was made.
