Video surfaces reportedly showing Phoenix police officers beating man; investigation underway

A late Thursday night arrest by Phoenix police with the suspect injured was reportedly caught on camera and is now being criminally investigated by the department.

Harry Denman, 39, was taken into custody after reportedly firing at a pair of officers at a Quik Trip gas station near 59th Avenue and Buckeye Road, according to police.

An explicit video shared Saturday on Facebook shows a man purported to be Denman on the floor as he is beaten by two male officers standing above him.

The video captures the man lowering himself onto the ground as an officer with a rifle aimed at him proceeds to kick his head against the tiled floor. Immediately after, another male officer approaches the man, who is moving on the ground, and stomps his head, the video shows.

Both officers in the video shout expletive-laden orders to the man, telling him not to move, to show his hands and to ask him where a gun is. Video shows the second officer poking the man in the head with his handgun, while the other officer uses his rifle’s front end to strike the man on his head.

The video shows officers restraining the man’s arms and handcuffing him before he turns on his side followed by the officer with the rifle kicking him on the back and shouting another expletive in response.

The man then cries, “Oh God, please,” the video shows, as blood spatter is visible on the floor near his head as the officer with the rifle rests his leg on him.

“I’ll blow your (expletive) head off, dude,” the officer with the rifle is heard saying on the video to the restrained man, shortly after adding, "(Expletive) you, dude. Don't (expletive) shoot at us."

Some seconds later, the man is heard on the video saying he is sorry and "please don't kill me" before he is lifted up by the two officers as he pleads for his glasses, which are left behind as the three walk out of view and filming appears to end.

“What is depicted in the video is not how we train and is not aligned with the core values of the Phoenix Police Department,” read a statement from newly installed Phoenix police Chief Michael Sullivan.

Sullivan was sworn in as the department's new chief on Friday.

Denman pulled a handgun and fired two shots within close range of the two officers’ patrol car as they were driving out of a parking space in the convenience store parking lot, according to police. A bullet struck the car’s spotlight, piercing through the driver’s side at head level, while the other bullet hit the ground, police said.

The officers had just talked with Denman and they had told him they were leaving to respond to a call, police said.

Phoenix police said the situation escalated when Denman fled into the store, with officers following him inside and a confrontation ensuing before the arrest.

The department said the store was unoccupied, but the video shows what appear to be other people in the background.

Denman was injured and taken to a hospital before being jailed, according to police. The department said both officers were uninjured.

The department said it learned on Friday of the officers’ reported actions during the arrest and an investigation was started. There is a criminal investigation in addition to an administrative one, according to police.

“The department takes instances of potential officer misconduct very seriously,” read a statement from the Phoenix Police Department. “We will wait for additional information and the full investigations to be completed before coming to any conclusions.”

The officers, who have not been identified, are on leave, police said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Denman did not appear in jail custody, according to jail records.

“Chief Sullivan promises a thorough, fair and transparent investigation and vows to hold officers and any other employee who violates the law or policy accountable,” read a statement from the Police Department.

In August 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was going to investigate the Phoenix Police Department partly due to allegations of excessive force.

Under review: Justice Department investigates Phoenix police practices, use of force

"The investigation will determine whether the Phoenix Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time.

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Video reportedly shows Phoenix officers beating man; arrest probed