WATE 6 NewsKNOXVILLE (WATE) – The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says they have fired the deputy involved in Saturday night’s block party in Fort Sanders.
Frank Phillips, 47, has been with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office since 1992.
A statement posted on the Sheriff’s Office website reads:
“In my 34 years of law enforcement experience, excessive force has never been tolerated. After an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, I believe excessive force was used in this incident. Therefore, Officer Phillips’ employment with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office is terminated immediately. The investigation will now be turned over to the Knox County Attorney General’s Office to determine any further action.
“This incident provides a perfect example of why we are in the process of purchasing officer worn body cameras (video and audio recordings) so incidents like this will be fully documented.”
Jarod Dotson, 21, who is seen in custody in the pictures, was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. He was released from jail on a $500 bond Sunday morning
The pictures released by the Daily Mail appear to show two officers detaining a man while another officer chokes him. The sequence of images appears to show the man falling to the ground after being choked.
We spoke with students Sunday who say officers who responded to the party did use excessive force while breaking up the party.
Officers say about 800 people were at the party near the intersection of 23rd Street and Laurel Avenue. They say UT Police called the Sheriff for back up around 11:30 Saturday night. About 60 Knoxville Police, UT Police and Sheriff’s Deputies were there.
Knoxville Police say people were throwing beer bottles at officers and about 15 people were on the scene.
“When the cops showed up we saw people throwing bottles at their cars. They had police dogs out there,” UT student Nicolas Oramas told us.
“We saw there was some people jumping on hoods of cars,” UT student Julia Hardy said.
Some Twitter accounts appear to show video and images from the block party. See @OnWUTK here and@UTKBlockParty here.
http://www.wate.com/story/25354386/sheriffs-office-fires-deputy-in-ft-sanders-party-incident
Why did they not fire the other two officers for allowing this to happen…. I do applaud the fact they fired the choker… but the other two are also responsible….
This crap needs to stop…….Where did these boys receive their training…. Israel…….
This crap needs to stop…….Where did these boys receive their training…. Israel…….
Yep.
The right thing that should have happened would have been for those 800 partiers to get involved and beat those cops to a bloody pulp and put them cops in the hospital with life threatening injuries.
Yea take their radios and smash them and beat them cops.
That was assault and battery that that cops did with back up from the other cops involved and assault and battery is a felony that alot of people have been sent to prison for but not if you are a damn cop.
Yep, it is a we against them situation when it come down to the cops and the cops are responsible for that situation. The cops are just one of the enemies!
Yea these cops need to be castrated so they cannot reproduce any kids to grow up like they are.
Yea – cut their balls off
Just look at that ugly mug! He looks like a hybrid made from WWE’s Vader and Sloth from the Goonies. I wonder how long it will be before another “law enforcement” agency hires him with the premise “We didn’t know about the prior incidents.”
I was thinking that same thing. He’ll get rehired in about 6 months after his severance pay runs out.
No charges???