Cop Fired After Kicking Handcuffed Man In Head

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A Gwinnett County Police officer has been fired hours after an online video surfaced showing him kicking a handcuffed man in the head.

Master Police Officer Robert McDonald was terminated less than 24 hours after the incident happened and a criminal investigation has been launched, the Gwinnett County Police Department announced Thursday afternoon.

The video of the incident, which happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday, was shared on Facebook by Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta.

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The video, which was posted Wednesday night and had been viewed nearly 50,000 times by Thursday morning, shows an officer removing a driver from his vehicle and handcuffing him face down in the street.

Then, a second officer, identified as McDonald, runs onto the scene and appears to stomp the handcuffed man on the head or face.

"What happened yesterday was clearly outside of state law and department policy," Gwinnett Police spokesman Cpl. Deon Washington said. "We do not tolerate actions that are not consistent with our core values or state law."

In the Facebook post, Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta president Sir Maejor Page had advocated for the officer to be fired and criminal charges to be filed.

"This is why we take to the streets and scream #BlackLivesMatter, it's because American police officers have ZERO regards for black lives, they beat us, shoot and kill us without a blink of an eye and the biggest problem is, it all goes UNCHALLENGED," he wrote.

The handcuffed man in the video appears to be black and the two officers appear to be white.

Washington said a shift commander began an investigation immediately after the arrest.

McDonald was placed on administrative leave, his department-issued firearm was taken and he was sent home, Washington said. He was hired in August of 2013 and graduated from the police academy in March of 2014, according to Washington.

The video, taken by a citizen, "was very crucial to the investigation and it confirmed that the force used was unnecessary and excessive," said Washington.

Washington said the incident happened at the intersection of Sugarloaf Parkway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. He said an ambulance responded to the scene and treated the injured man.

Photo via Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta Facebook page