Video shows officer kicking cuffed suspect

A Franklin Township police officer has been suspended after a cellphone video showed him delivering a kick to the head to a suspect who was handcuffed and being held on the ground by a second officer, a township trustee said Thursday.

“I’m really shocked by the video. That behavior is completely unacceptable,” Trustee Aryeh Alex said.

The officer’s name has not been released. Township Police Chief Byron Smith is investigating, and the officer could face discipline ranging up to termination, Alex said.

The township has 15 full- and part-time police officers, including the chief, Alex said. He said he didn’t know the officer’s level of pay or experience or other details.

A police pursuit of a vehicle on Eakin Road on Tuesday night ended near Sullivant Avenue, where a bystander used a cellphone to record video showing the officer kicking the handcuffed suspect, Alex said.

The video was posted to Twitter. The person who posted the video did not respond to a request Thursday for an interview via Twitter.

Smith did not return phone messages left by The Dispatch on Thursday seeking additional information. He released a statement saying that the department will not tolerate officer misconduct and that more details will follow when the investigation is finished.