Kansas City corrections officers on unpaid leave after striking detainee restrained to wheelchair

Security footage courtesy Mayor’s Office

Two Kansas City corrections officers have been put on unpaid leave after an incident in which they struck a municipal detainee.

The incident, captured in security footage released by the city on Friday, begins in clips with the detainee kicking and spitting on the corrections officers, and several additional officers came to help restrain the detainee. Later footage shows the officers striking the detainee—who was at this point restrained in a wheelchair—as they transported him through a tunnel in a city facility to Vernon County Jail.

Security footage courtesy Mayor’s Office

The detainee was offered medical care but refused.

“No matter the provocation, I am disturbed by the behavior displayed by two corrections officers toward a City detainee,” says Mayor Quinton Lucas in a statement. “The officers were immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave and we have referred the incident to the Kansas City Police Department for a thorough investigation. These are difficult jobs and I thank the corrections officers and Kansas City police officers who intervened to protect the detainee and their fellow corrections officers.”

So far, this has been the sole comment from the City of Kansas City and the Mayor is not slated to provided follow-ups.

This story is developing and will be updated. A significant amount of raw footage has been provided to the media and will be reviewed.