Body cam footage shows Worcester preacher subdued by stun gun after chase through church
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that police officers took the 11-year-old child involved in the custody dispute from the scene. An attorney for the Rizzutis says this was not the case.
WORCESTER — Body camera footage released by Central District Court shows the events leading up to and immediately after the arrest of a preacher inside his church in August 2019, including a police officer's use of a Taser on the man.
The footage was obtained by the Telegram & Gazette two weeks after Joseph J. Rizzuti Sr. and Joseph J. Rizzuti Jr. were acquitted on a total of six charges following a police response to a father's report of "custodial interference" at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church, at 78 Waverly St., in the Union Hill neighborhood.
On Oct. 19, 58-year-old Rizzuti Sr. was found not guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
His son, Rizzuti Jr., 33, was found not guilty of resisting arrest.
Officer Michael Cappabianca Jr. responded with Officer Diony Nunez after Rizzuti Sr. had allegedly interfered with the officers attempting to retrieve an 11-year-old child from a woman who was involved in the custody dispute.
Cappabianca's body camera recorded with sound for more than 16 minutes. At the start, Cappabianca is heard saying, “We’re all set here,” while also asking Rizzuti Sr. to return inside the church.
As Cappabianca steps toward the cruiser, apparently to leave the scene, Rizzuti Sr. begins to call the officer a tyrant and says, “You can’t tell me what to do.”
Rizzuti Sr. can be heard shouting continuously, prompting Cappabianca to threaten to arrest him for disturbing the peace.
As Rizzuti Sr. continues the shouting, Cappabianca moves to arrest him, starting a chase that moves from the street and into the church, where the preacher is subdued on the ground next to the pulpit.
Rizzuti Jr., at the time 30, was also arrested after allegedly "hovering" over Cappabianca's back, "interfering with the arrest of Joseph," according to the officer's statement. Rizzuti Jr. allegedly tensed his arms and pulled away as Nunez tried to take him into custody on a charge of interfering with the arrest of his father.
During Rizzuti Sr.’s arrest, he is seen crossing his arms under his face while lying flat on the ground.
Cappabianca is heard demanding him to relax his arms so he can be handcuffed.
The clicking of a stun gun can then be heard. Rizzuti Sr. repeatedly moans, while calling Cappabianca "a tyrant nazi."
“He tased me,” says Rizzuti Sr., in the direction of a woman who was screaming nearby. “My heart.”
Toward the end of the video, Rizzuti Sr. is seen by emergency medical personnel while standing outside the church.
Karissa Rizzuti, at the time 29 and pregnant, was also arrested and charged with interfering with a police officer. The charge was dropped Feb. 1.
The footage shows her being handcuffed while lying flat on the preacher’s platform by a different officer.
An internal investigation in May 2020 by Lt. David Doherty cleared the officers of wrongdoing. Doherty found that “there is no evidence to support the claim that Officer Cappabianca beat or otherwise used excessive force,” and that he “deployed his department issued Taser in accordance with his training and Worcester Police Department use of force policies.”
In August, the Rizzutis filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city, members of the Police Department including Cappabianca and Nunez, and former City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., according to court documents.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Body camera footage shows Worcester preacher subdued by Taser
