West Chester PD Investigating After Video Of Arrest Goes Viral

WEST CHESTER, PA — A video of a public drunkenness arrest outside a bar in West Chester has spread around social media, and police are now investigating.

The incident occurred on Nov. 2 on the 50 block of S. High Street in the borough. Cops said they were called to the scene by the management of a nearby bar who they said "requested help" in getting the person off their property.

The short video shows two officers putting an individual on their back in the street. They order, "on the ground, now" and "on your belly, now."

The individual has their hands up above their head, and doesn't appear to be resisting. One of the officers then punches the suspect in the face.

On Twitter, this version of the video had more than 1,700 retweets and 3,300 likes as of Monday afternoon.

In a statement, police said that the video "suggested misconduct on the part of one of our officers." However, they added, "The context of the officers’ actions is important." The videos are less than 30 seconds long and do not show what led up to the incident.

Police said there was no formal complaint, but they are investigating.

"The Department has a protocol to review such matters and will review the entirety of the incident and gather all of the facts and information," their statement reads. "The West Chester Police Department takes representations of misconduct very seriously and has not, and will not, tolerate any misconduct on the part of its officers. We thank you for your patience as we conduct our review."

A slightly longer version of the video appears below, and shows the officers handcuffing the individual.

The suspect was arrested and charged with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

Police did not name the officer in their statement, or say his current employment status. Patch has reached out to the department and will update this story when we hear back.