An Ohio police officer caught on a bystander’s video dragging a handcuffed Black teenager by the hood of his sweatshirt has been suspended, Mansfield Police Chief Keith Porch announced in a statement last week.
Officer Jordan Moore’s unpaid 60-day suspension began on Oct. 20 and ends on Jan. 11. Porch said in the Oct. 19 release that 24-year-old Moore, who joined the department in 2018, is also required to undergo further training.
A bystander captured footage of the Oct. 12 incident, which shows Moore dragging a handcuffed 17-year-old named Deangelo Chapman around the back of a patrol car by the hood of his sweatshirt. According to Porch, Moore’s actions prompted an internal review, which found that the officer had violated departmental policy.
“After a complete and thorough review of the arrest incident that occurred at 501
W. 4th Street on October 12, 2020, which included all available audio/video,
officer statements and reports, Officer Jordan Moore was found to have violated
Mansfield Police Department Rules & Regulations pertaining to the Treatment of
Persons in Custody and Unsatisfactory Performance,” a statement from the department reads.
The statement also said that Moore began dragging Chapman for “several feet” without giving a warning or providing instruction, and noted that the teen was not resisting.
The incident occurred as offers attempted to remove Chapman’s father, Dwaine Chapman, who was resisting arrest, from the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Several officers were attempting to move the elder Chapman into a patrol car. He was arrested on charges of menacing, resisting arrest, and intoxication.
Prior to the most recent incident, Moore had already been suspended multiple times this year. He was suspended in May for four days after driving at 92 mph while responding to a non-emergency domestic violence situation, and was suspended for three days in July after failing to photograph or collect evidence at a hit-skip accident in May. He submitted a property damage report rather than a proper hit-skip report.
Moore punched a Black 17-year-old in the face three times last year, which led to allegations that he had used excessive force. The teen had allegedly run a stop sign on his bicycle. The teen’s grandfather said two of the boy’s teeth were knocked loose. The department found Moore’s use of force to be acceptable.
Chapman’s grandmother said the teenager’s wrist was sprained during the encounter with Moore, and started a GoFundMe to cover expenses.
