Three Miami Police officers are facing disciplinary action Tuesday for a rough arrest that involved one of the officers dragging a handcuffed man on the ground back in 2021.
The officers responded to a call of domestic battery at a home on Dec. 9, 2023. Police body camera footage showed George Augustus getting into an argument with Sgt. Gary Sampson.
Augustus, standing outside his home on the sidewalk, was told several times not to interfere with the investigation.
"We're conducting an investigation. You need to back up," Sampson said while pointing his finger in Augustus' face.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
"Get your hands out of my face," Augustus said.
The argument escalates, and Sampson is seen forcefully grabbing Augustus' neck and pushing him against a fence, and other officers rush in to detain him.
Police then transported Augustus to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Augustus, in handcuffs and shackles, complained they were too tight and refused to walk.
Local
Another officer, Bens Mocombe, is seen on bodycam dragging Augustus, holding him only by the handcuffs with his hands behind his back across the floor, with his head dragging.
A third officer, Elouse Joseph, just watches. Nobody, not even medical staff or doctors, tried to assist.
On Tuesday night, an 11-member civilian investigative panel — which only provides oversight and has no disciplinary power — voted that Mocombe and Sampson used excessive force and that all three officers violated policy. None of them properly documented their response to resistance or use of force.
"It shows that you’ll be held accountable, especially with body cam footage now," said Rodney Jacobs, the executive director of the civilian panel.
The rough arrest came to light after an internal affairs audit that found the bodycam video didn’t match what officers wrote in their arrest reports.
"Without the body worn camera footage, we wouldn’t have instances that give us the accountability that people are asking for around the community," Jacobs said. "The police department did a really good job in identifying this case."
All three officers have certain rights to challenge or appeal the ruling from the panel and internal affairs. Disciplinary action from the Miami Police Department could range from more training to suspension without pay.
