TORRINGTON, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut police officer has been fired for using excessive force against a man who was handcuffed and in a wheelchair at police headquarters last year.
Torrington Police Chief William Baldwin Jr. announced the firing of Sgt. Gerald Peters on Wednesday, saying the 19-year veteran of the department violated the agency’s use of force policy on May 23, 2020.
A message seeking comment was left at a phone number listed for Peters.
Police body camera videos show Peters spraying the man with pepper spray as he sits handcuffed in a wheelchair, after the man had threatened to assault an officer. Peters then grabs the man by the back of the neck and forces him to the floor, the videos show.
“Are you done yet? Are you done yet?” Peters says to the man as he lies on the floor. “Are you done with the kicking and the fighting with the officers? Are you done yet? Are you finished?”
Police did not release the man’s name. Baldwin said the man was not seriously hurt.
A state police investigation requested by prosecutors determined no charges against Peters were warranted, Baldwin said. An independent review also supported the department’s internal findings of inappropriate use of force, the chief said.
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