MULBERRY — One of the law enforcement officers who was involved in a use of force incident Sunday that went viral on social media reportedly has a history of similar behavior, according to a local attorney.
Attorney Carrie Jernigan of the Van Buren-based Jernigan Law Group, who is representing Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, S.C., said in a TikTok video she made an excessive force complaint involving a male client against an unspecified law enforcement agency, “one officer somewhat in particular,” about a month ago. She also said she believed this same officer attacked another person, a woman, during an arrest about a week ago.
Jernigan identified the deputy as Levi White of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office during a news conference Tuesday.
This comes after White, along with fellow deputy Zack King and officer Thell Riddle of the Mulberry Police Department, were identified in a video using force while arresting Worcester at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday outside the Kountry Xpress convenience store off Interstate 40 in Mulberry. The officers were shown repeatedly punching and kneeing Worcester and slamming his head to the pavement, as well as telling a bystander responding to the incident to get away from the scene.
The Arkansas State Police are investigating the use of force during Worcester’s arrest while the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI’s field office in Little Rock opened a civil rights investigation into the incident, according to authorities.