NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A former North Charleston officer is charged with assault for allegedly punching a handcuffed suspect in the backseat of a police car.
Local media outlets report 29-year-old Leroy Hair turned himself in Wednesday on a charge of third-degree assault and battery.
Authorities say James Terry III was stopped for speeding Nov. 15 and was shackled and put in a patrol car after becoming belligerent.
Hair was a backup officer who arrived at the scene, and authorities say video shows him pulling Terry across the backseat to the edge of the frame. Terry’s attorneys say that’s when the officer punched him repeatedly in the face.
Hair was fired from the department in December. It wasn’t known if he had an attorney.
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