CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Randal Worcester, the man seen being beaten by Crawford County deputies in a viral video during his arrest, has a jury trial scheduled for June 26 at 9 a.m., according to court records.
The violent video (Warning: Graphic) shows Worcester being hit and held down by Arkansas authorities during an arrest in August 2022.
On Dec. 1, 2022, a special prosecutor requested by Crawford County Prosecutor Rinda Baker announced charges against Worcester related to the events before what was shown in the arrest video, including battery and resisting arrest.
Worcester, a 27-year-old man, alleges in a federal lawsuit that he was on his way to South Carolina on his bicycle and was traveling through Crawford County when two deputies (Levi White and Zack King) and a Mulberry officer (Thell Riddle) used excessive force while arresting him.
A video of part of the arrest was taken the morning of Aug. 21, 2022, went viral. It was taken by a bystander at the Mulberry gas station where the arrest took place. In the video, there are three uniformed officers on top of Worcester while at some points kicking and hitting him while he is on the ground.
The two Crawford County deputies were fired about a month after the incident.
According to an FBI spokesperson, US Marshals took Levi White and Zachary King into custody on January 24, 2023, on charges related to excessive force in Worcester's arrest.
The trial date for the deputies is set for Dec. 11, 2023.
The charges against Worcester:
- First degree terroristic threatening (felony)
- Battery in the second degree (felony)
- Resisting arrest (misdemeanor)
- Possessing an instrument of a crime (misdemeanor)
- Obstructing governmental operations (misdemeanor)
- Disorderly conduct (misdemeanor)
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