PHOENIX — Phoenix police officials say they are still gathering more information and evidence from an incident where an officer was seen repeatedly hitting a man at a Circle K gas station.
That man was taken to a hospital with injuries from the incident, according to police.
Video obtained by ABC15 shows an officer on top of a man, continuously hitting him at the Circle K store near 27th Avenue and Deer Valley Road.
In the video, it's unclear where the man’s hands are, however, you can hear him groaning, and the officer telling him to put his hands behind his back.
Phoenix PD officials said on Sunday officers were called out to that area about an occupied stolen truck.
Police say the first officer on scene contacted the man that matched the description of the suspect, and that encounter ended in a fight.
“The video taken by a bystander shows a portion of the incident and does not capture the totality of the incident,” the department said in an initial statement.
“On the nature of it, when you first look at it, it looks excessive. When you look at it, you see the shockingness,” said Benjamin Taylor, a civil rights attorney.
However, Taylor said the video is a bit “tricky” because it’s unclear what events led up to the officer hitting the man.
“Until we find out what happened prior and get the full story, that's when we can tell whether or not the officer was justified in using excessive force or not,” Taylor said.
The Phoenix Police Department says it is still gathering more evidence and information about the incident, and it is under administrative investigation by the Professional Standards Bureau.
“A determination of whether the actions of the officer are in policy will come when the investigation is completed,” the initial statement said.
“Officers are allowed to use force and even excessive force if an officer believes his life is in danger. However, if there’s no life-threatening issue to the officer, and the threat has no longer been there, the officer shouldn’t be using that excessive force,” Taylor said.
It is unclear if the man had a weapon, what crime the man is suspected of, what the man’s condition is, if he made threats, and how the incident led up to a physical fight.
ABC15 requested the body cam footage and reached out to the Phoenix Police Department multiple times with questions and have not yet received a response.
