CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – After visiting his son in the main Broward County jail, DJenny Narcisse said it sickened him to know a Coral Springs police officer kicked his son while in handcuffs. He said his son, who is mentally ill, often refuses to take his medication.
Two witnesses recorded the recent arrest of his 28-year-old son, Gabriel Narcisse-Beckford, who was accused of shoplifting in Davie. Both videos show Narcisse-Beckford was sitting down on the curb with two officers when two other officers approached.
One of the videos appears to show one of the officers kicking him twice. The other video shows Narcisse-Beckford falling back. The Coral Springs Police Department suspended the four officers involved in the arrest pending an investigation.
"A kick to the head could actually kill him," the distraught father said Thursday.
Narcisse also said his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a serious mental illness that interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions and make decisions. Narcisse said he didn't realize his son had left the house, had been arrested or that there were witnesses questioning the officer's actions.
According to the police report of the Tuesday night arrest, an officer deployed a Taser gun and, during a scuffle, Narcisse-Beckford was reaching for one of the officer's firearms.
The two witnesses, who did not want to be identified over fear of reprisal, said they saw an officer kick Narcisse-Beckford. One said he heard the officer's colleague asking him to stop.
Chief Clyde Perry said Wednesday night that he contacted the state attorney's office after watching one of the videos of the arrest.
"I wasn't happy with what I saw," Perry said.
Narcisse-Beckford faces charges of petit theft, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice and battery on a police officer.
Narcisse said he believes the officer who kicked his son should take responsibility for what he did.
"He's not above the law," he said.