Excessive Force Investigation

District Attorney General drops charges against Reginald Arrington Jr. and releases dashcam video of his arrest.

He is asking for an excessive force investigation.

County district attorney general neal pinkston has asked the tbi to investigate the arrest of an ohio man that turned into a lengthy fight to get him into a patrol car.

Video released by the hamilton county sheriff's office shows the suspect being hit on the legs numerous times with batons.

News 12's bill mitchell has tonight's top local story.

In video released by the d.a.'s office...the incident on may 23rd at first appeared to be a routine arrest of a man on waverly court in ooltewah.

He is thirty two year old african american , reginald arrington, jr. they had been called by a neighbor who said a suspicious man was walking around and stopping "females" and asking how to get out of the neighborhood.

She also said she thought the man may have a weapon in his pocket.

Deputies arrived and found arrington walking in the roadway.

He told them his car had broken down at the super 8 motel.

At first he gave his name as reggie davis and a false date of birth.

In the video arrington could be seen laying down in the roadway and showing eratic behavior.

But after walking to a patrol car, the hand-cuffed arrington began fighting with the deputies, and attempting to take the weapon of corporal killingsworth.

Sot--- as the attempted arrest continued, the man ended up on the ground kicking at the 5 officers who repeatedly ordered him to put his legs down.

They began hitting arrington on the legs with batons ...in an attempt to subdue him.

Sot--- the deputies finally got arrington into the car, where he was checked by ems personnel.

At the time, he faced charges of resisting arrest, simple assault on police, criminal impersonation, pedestrian in roadway and four counts of aggravated assault on police.

District attorney general pinkston today ordered that all of the charges against arrington be dropped.

Pinkston said the bodycam and dashcam footage from the officers caused enough concern to warrant an investigation, and that the video was "troubling.

" he says he wants determine if excessive force was used.

In chattanooga, bill mitchell, news 12 now.

General pinkston has also referred the matter to the department of justice for possible investigation, and notified the general counsel for tennessee governor bill lee.

The district attorney's actions today did not sit well with hamilton county sheriff jim hammond.

This afternoon, hammond issued a statement criticizing the way it was handled.

He said, quote, "by hastily dismissing charges and releasing this video without allowing a legal, preliminary probable cause hearing to take place, i feel general pinkston's actions will improperly influence and sensationalize the events of this incident to the public, without allowing the legal process to effectively take place."

The sheriff's news release also included photos of the five deputies involved reginald arrington's arrest.

He added that he is not placing any of them on administrative leave.

But he's ordered an administrative review, to ensure arrington's treatment was justified, and department policies