NORTH LAUDERDALE, Florida — BSO released body camera video Friday of a 2020 excessive force incident that led to a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy getting fired.
Deputy Ronald Thurston, who has been with BSO for more than 22 years, was fired Friday, Sheriff Gregory Tony announced in a statement.
According to BSO, on April 1, 2020, Thurston was in the 100 block of San Remo Boulevard investigating a previous crime when he encountered the suspect, Isaiah Darcisse-Bey.
“After making contact with the individual, the man initially refused to cooperate with Thurston’s lawful commands and attempted to flee,” Tony said.
That’s when BSO said Thurston pulled out his gun and threatened to shoot the man. Isaiah complied and got on the ground face down.
“At that point,” according to BSO, “Thurston had every opportunity to de-escalate the situation, yet he chose not to.”
Video released shows Thurston kneeling on Isaiah’s neck, even after he expressed discomfort and asked the deputy to remove his knee.
As Darcisse-Bey was being searched, police found a gun in his pocket, and another deputy’s body camera captured Thurston slamming the handcuffed suspect’s head into a BSO vehicle with his forearm, the footage shows.
BSO Public Corruption Unit detectives began investigating the incident but the Broward State Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges against Thurston.
But Tony said Thurston’s actions were “egregious” and do not reflect the agency’s “training and de-escalation tactics.”
Tony also added that when asked if he could do things differently, Thurston reportedly said “I probably would have killed him right there, and we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about it.”
BSO’s Professional Standards Committee recommended a three-day suspension for Thurston, but Tony chose to fire the 22-year veteran instead.
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