SUNRISE, Fla. — The Sunrise Police sergeant who was recorded grabbing a fellow officer by her throat and walking her back toward a police cruiser has been placed on paid administrative leave and is now under a criminal investigation, officials said Thursday.
The video of Sgt. Christopher Pullease, a 21-year veteran, was recorded in November, and Pullease was placed on desk duty five days later. An internal affairs investigation is reviewing the incident.
“During the afternoon of January 19th, 2022, Sgt. Christopher Pullease was placed on administrative leave with pay,” a spokesperson for the department said in an email Thursday. “This is a result of criminal allegations that have been uncovered due to the internal affairs investigation. The Sunrise Police Department is working in conjunction with the Broward State Attorney’s Office during this criminal investigation.”
The department did not provide specifics of the criminal allegations, citing the open investigation.
Pullease, the female officer and other officers were at the scene of an arrest on Nov. 19 when the incident happened. After officers placed a handcuffed suspect into the back of a police car, Pullease pointed pepper spray at the suspect, the video shows.
The video shows the unidentified female officer running over to Pullease and pulling him by the belt away from the suspect. Pullease then turned around, pepper spray still in his right hand, and placed his left hand first on her throat before walking her back toward the side of another police car with his hand on her shoulder.
Since the video became public, Chief Anthony Rosa has issued statements where he praised the officer who grabbed Pullease away from the handcuffed suspect and has denounced the sergeant’s actions. Rosa’s statements has fueled the union this week to say to city officials that Rosa’s comments were biased.
(Sun Sentinel staff writers Eileen Kelley and Lisa Huriash contributed to this report.)
