Mississippi Cop Under Investigation After Video Shows Him Dropping Knee On Suspect’s Back

Vicksburg, MS – The Vicksburg mayor ordered the police chief to launch an investigation into a video that showed an officer dropping his knee on the back of a suspect who was on the ground with his hands behind his back.

The incident occurred on Dec. 25 outside a bar in downtown Vicksburg, according to Magnolia State Live.

The video of the arrest was posted to Facebook on Sunday morning. “I’m up so mf mad,” Sabrina Wilson captioned the video. “I hate when folks f* over my people it do something to me but he got folks that love him sir and I will be calling the Internal Affairs first thing in the morning!”

The video began with a suspect in a white shirt standing behind a white car, holding his hands behind his back.

A Vicksburg police officer – later identified by the mayor as Vicksburg Police Officer Eddie Colbert – approached the suspect from behind and clapped him hard on the shoulder, grabbing the suspect and throwing him to the ground, the video showed.

The suspect appeared to be following the officer’s commands on the ground as he stayed on his stomach and placed both of his hand behind his back.

Another officer stepped in and straddled the prone suspect and started to pull out his handcuffs.

Just then, something was said between Officer Colbert and the suspect, the video showed.

The video showed the officer reached down and grabbed the suspect, and the suspect put his hands on the ground.

That was when the video showed the officer dropped his knee in the middle of the suspect’s back.

Officers handcuffed the suspect after that and then pulled him to his feet and marched him across the street, the video showed.

The video of the arrest quickly spread across social media platforms and was brought to the attention of town leaders, WAPT reported.

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs announced late on Dec. 26 that Officer Colbert had been suspended with pay pending an investigation into the incident.

Flaggs said he had asked Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones to spearhead a thorough investigation and have it completed and on his desk before noon on Tuesday, WAPT reported.

He said investigators would be looking at area surveillance cameras, bodycams, and any cell phone videos turned in by witnesses.

The mayor asked that anyone with additional video footage of the arrest please come forward, WAPT reported.