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Home • News

Miami Police Officer Suspended After Kicking Unarmed Suspect In The Head

Miami Police Officer Suspended After Kicking Unarmed Suspect In The Head
Tricia Shay Photography
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 24, 2020

A Miami police officer has been suspended after a bystander filmed him kicking a handcuffed Black man in the head.
 
Mario Figueroa, a 2-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, is said to have assaulted David Suazo on Thursday morning after pursuing him in a car chase. Suazo was driving a car that officers suspected to be stolen, Buzzfeed reports.

WATCH: A City of Miami police officer has been relieved of duty after this video showing the officer kicking a man in the head while he was being cuffed on the ground went viral on social media. @WPLGLocal10 https://t.co/yuGmyvCsCL pic.twitter.com/1R5xkPR8W3

— Liane Morejon (@LianeMorejonTV) May 3, 2018

The video shows Suazo lying face down on the ground while an officer detained him. Seconds later, Figueroa runs and kicks him in the head.
 
A nearby bystander, Lisa Harrell, caught the incident on video and shared it on Facebook, according to the Miami Herald.
 
 “He ran around and then he was face-to-face with police,” Harrell said. “He put his hands on his head. The police said lay down. He did. And then the police just came and kicked him.”
 
After Harrell shared the video online, the video went viral on Facebook; she also sent it to the city of Miami. 

“I’m very happy the chief took swift, immediate action,” said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
 
As for Suazo, he has been charged with a number of offenses including grand theft and fleeing police. Figueroa has been suspended without pay until further investigation.