Fla. Deputy Allegedly Beat Wheelchair-Bound Inmate, Shattered His Dentures

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A deputy in Florida was fired on Tuesday for allegedly shattering the dentures of a wheelchair-bound inmate and striking him with his fists and knees, according to The St. Petersburg Tribune.

Deputy Raymond Ferrio of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office was accused of using excessive force while attempting to restrain an inmate he was escorting to the infirmary, the Tribune reported.

The incident, which occurred on Oct. 1, began when the inmate put his feet down while sitting in his wheelchair, preventing Ferrio from pushing him forward, according to the newspaper.

Ferrio reportedly put his arm around the inmate’s neck and pulled him from his wheelchair before dumping him onto the floor, according to the release. When the inmate fell, his dentures were shattered and Ferrio reportedly hit him with his fists and knees while restraining him.

An investigation by the sheriff’s office found the inmate hadn’t provoked the attack or presented a threat to staff members. During the investigation, Ferrio admitted he shouldn’t have used such force but, according to the release, “got caught up in the moment.”

Watch video of the incident below, courtesy of the Pinellas Sheriff’s YouTube channel:

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  1. Have fun being “caught up in” that civil suit, pigthug.

  2. Seems legit.

  3. Avatar for gajake gajake says:

    “Caught up in the moment.” I see. Well, OK then.

  4. Avatar for edhedh edhedh says:

    when the average citizen just gets “caught up in the moment”, they usually get caught up in some jail time. i think they call it “assault and battery”.

  5. Avatar for wwss wwss says:

    the article didn’t state any further punishment beyond being fired … surely they will at least bring assault and battery charges against the guy … hell, I’d go with attempt to murder and make sure that his future cell mate is some guy that he previously mistreated “in another moment.”

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