FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida sheriff said he has fired a deputy for punching a suspect who was handcuffed to a hospital bed.
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony told reporters Wednesday he decided to terminate 25-year-old Jorge Sobrino over the January incident.
Authorities say Sobrino responded to an altercation at a Walmart store involving David O’Connell, who was charged with resisting arrest and taken to a local hospital. While there, investigators say O’Connell became abusive to Sobrino, who responded by punching him while O’Connell was handcuffed to a bed.
The incident was captured on body camera footage. Sobrino contended O’Connell pushed him first.
Sobrino faces up to a year in prison if convicted of the battery charge.
Another Broward deputy was fired in July for punching a handcuffed suspect in a separate incident.
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