Ex-Weymouth officer faces possible decertification after brutal arrest caught on camera

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — A former Weymouth Police Officer is facing possible decertification after a brutal arrest in 2022 that was caught on camera.

Boston 25 has obtained the body cam footage that recorded the violent arrest from last July which led to allegations of the excessive use of force against an officer who was involved in the incident.

Chief Richard Fuller said officers were dispatched to a report of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance back on July 2 at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Officer Justin Chappell responded to the disturbance and confronted the man, “who was heavily under the influence of alcohol, confrontational and non-compliant,” according to Fuller.

Chappell’s body camera captured his exchange with the suspect and the violent struggle that ensued. Chappell struck the man’s legs with a baton several times before another officer arrived to help apply handcuffs.

The struggle continued to get the man in the back of the cruiser while he was spitting at the officers.

Chappell is then seen punching the suspect’s head several times with a closed fist

“The investigation found that several of these strikes were unnecessary and improper,” Fuller said. “Chappell was found to have used excessive force.”

The initial investigation resulted in a termination hearing being scheduled for Chappell, Fuller said, but he resigned from the department on July 11, 2022, one week after the incident.

“The findings of our investigation have been submitted to the Massachusetts POST Commission along with our recommendation that Chappell be decertified as a police officer,” Fuller said. “He has been held accountable for his actions in large part due to body-worn camera footage.”

Warning: the following video depicts graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised

Boston 25 has obtained the body cam footage that recorded the violent arrest from last July Boston 25 has obtained the body cam footage that recorded the violent arrest from last July

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