KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Three Knoxville police officers have been taken off the streets while two investigations proceed into an incident involving a homeless man.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said internal affairs and criminal investigations are proceeding after Michael Allen Mallicoat was hospitalized.
Documents obtained by the newspaper showed the 30-year-old Mallicoat received broken ribs and a possible concussion after the officers answered a complaint about him. A caller on Feb. 9 complained Mallicoat was drunk and rowdy on a city street.
Rausch said after reviewing police car video, a criminal investigation was opened. The department reassigned the officers - identified by the newspaper as Ty Compton, Jeremy Jinnett and Chris Whitfield - to taking police reports over the phone.