WARNING: The video above contains graphic language and disturbing visuals. Viewer discretion advised.
New body camera footage shows South Florida cops mocking a handcuffed and battered Black man following an incident at a hotel.
Local 10 News obtained the video and aired it Friday (October 1), which shows a bloodied Khalid Vaughn sitting after Miami Beach cops reportedly tackled him inside the Royal Palm Beach Hotel on July 26. Vaughn was filming the rough arrest of another Black man accused of scooter parking violations, and that's when officers decided to get rough with him, reporters say.
"Y'all beat me for no reason," Vaughn says to the officers surrounding him and the detained scooter rider. One of them claims he was resisting arrest, to which Vaughn responds, "I didn't resist, I wasn't arrested!" Another cop then tells Vaughn to "stop crying."
Later on in the video, an officer is shown taking Vaughn's drink and consuming it off-camera.
Miami Beach leaders, however, had muted reactions to the release of the shocking footage.
“My understanding is the incident and all the attendant conduct of the officers are under the same investigation,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement to Local 10. “Obviously I’ve expressed my concern with what everybody has seen on the videos but I need to respect the ongoing criminal and administrative reviews.”
City Manager Alina Hudaks' office response: "The entire incident remains under investigation." Miami Beach Police's statement reads: "We remain committed to the process and allowing the investigation to take its course."
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle affirmed the investigation into the cops' actions will be "thorough and complete."
"All aspects of this July 26th police incident are taken very seriously by my prosecutors," she said in a statement last month. "The investigation has been and will be as thorough and complete as possible since our entire community has been shocked and offended by what we have seen."
The charges against Vaughn were later dropped after the incident. Five Miami Beach police officers were charged with battery, and three face felony charges.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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