An Arkansas police officer, Joseph Harris, was fired by Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliot after a video surfaced showing Harris beating a handcuffed inmate in the back of his patrol car. The incident occurred while the inmate, Billy Lee Coram, was being transferred from a local hospital back to the county jail. In the video, Harris can be seen punching, elbowing, and slamming the car door on Coram. The police chief made the decision to terminate Harris immediately after reviewing the video, stating that he was shocked and appalled by Harris’ actions.
Coram, who was wearing a hospital gown and choking himself with a seatbelt wrapped around his neck, was assaulted by Harris when the car pulled over. Harris proceeded to punch and elbow Coram multiple times in the face as he unwound the belt, and later slammed the car door against Coram’s head. It is unclear what injuries Coram sustained from the beating, but he was being held at the Craighead County jail on escape charges and warrants from out of state. Coram had been taken to the hospital after claiming to have ingested fentanyl and had escaped from the hospital.
Elliott stated that he would be referring the case to the local prosecutor and was in the process of compiling paperwork to send to them. Additionally, he contacted the FBI’s Little Rock office about the incident and planned to request that Harris be decertified as a police officer by the state. Elliott emphasized that wrong is wrong and there is nothing to investigate in this case. Harris had previously been suspended two years ago for using excessive force and is currently a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in June over an inmate who died in the Craighead County jail.
The video of Harris’ assault on Coram was posted on the department’s YouTube page, and the department announced Harris’ firing in response to a complaint from the county sheriff’s office. Harris had been with the department for five years and had no listed phone number for contact. Elliott expressed his zero tolerance for such behavior and stated that he would not tolerate it, resulting in Harris’ immediate termination. The department did not disclose the specific details of the incident, but the video evidence was enough for the police chief to take swift action against Harris for his actions.
