Cop Fired For Striking Handcuffed Suspect

by Ademo Freeman
Cop Block
Jun. 04, 2015

The video above was posted to Cop Block Central Florida’s Youtube channel and shows Detective Zach Pickett striking a man in the face while reading him his rights. Oh the irony there, right? According to the LiveLeak description:

South Daytona, FL – A South Daytona police officer accused of punching a handcuffed suspect, who was in the back of a patrol car in January, has been fired following an internal investigation.

The incident was captured on dash cam video.

Officials said Detective Zach Pickett stood outside the patrol car, reaching in and hitting suspect Parker Beasley in the face.

Investigators said Beasley was ranting when Pickett allegedly punched him.

Pickett was charged with misdemeanor battery last month following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation and was terminated Tuesday from his job, effective immediately.

Pickett has the right to appeal.

I guess we should all be thankful that Pickett was fired but I’d also like to point out the lack of reaction by the officer behind the wheel. Smashing the, “not all cops are bad” argument here yet again. Notice how the cop doesn’t even react to his Thin Blue Line buddy punching a man in the face because he’s upset for being arrested for Marijuana (which he claims not to have had, but either way, it’s only marijuana). That officer should face some sort of accountability as well.

What are your thoughts? What would you do if you saw someone punch a detained man for no good, logical, reason? Would your reaction be the same as the passively complicit officer in this video?