Cop Throwing Peanuts At Homeless Man Caught On Surveillance Video [Watch]

A cop throwing peanuts at a homeless man was caught on a surveillance video.

The officer, identified as Andrew Halpin, can be seen taunting Randy Miller, 44, in a silent booking video from the Sarasota County jail that was released on Monday, July 27, according to the New York Daily News, reported via MSN.

Although the audio to the video was not available, a person familiar with the July 18 incident told the news site that the officer was giving Miller “dog commands,” and was throwing peanuts at him to catch in his mouth as if he was an animal in the zoo. When he failed to catch them using his mouth, Miller, who was handcuffed and only wearing one shoe, can be seen trying to pick them up to eat, while Halpin kicks them towards him with his boot.

There were other officers in the booking room at the time, but none of them made any effort to intervene, and at one point in the video, it appears as though one of the officers handed Halpin more peanuts to throw at him.

Miller, who was drunk at the time, had been arrested for trespassing and failure to leave the property at the owner’s request at approximately 10:00 p.m. on July 18.

This wasn’t Miller’s first run-in with the law. Over the past two years, it is reported that Miller was arrested 22 times in Sarasota County for trespassing, refusing to leave, and drinking in public.

Neither the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office nor the Sarasota Police Department knew anything about Halpin’s actions until the Herald-Tribune obtained a copy of the booking video through a public records request. Police Chief Bernadette DiPino watched the video for the first time on Monday, and immediately suspended Andrew, who had been with the department since 2006.

“Based on the actions in the video, I immediately initiated an internal investigation on Officer Halpin,” DiPino said. “I’m disappointed in what I observed in the video, and placed the officer on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.”

DiPino declined to comment any further on the officer’s work history, and said she would not be issuing any further statements until the internal investigation was complete.

Michael Barfield, the vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said that it wasn’t surprising the way Halpin treated Miller, as Sarasota County is “labeled as the ‘meanest city in the USA’ towards the homeless.”

“Florida law allows for enhanced penalties when crimes are committed that show prejudice against the homeless,” Barfield said.

What do you think the punishment should be for the cop throwing peanuts at the homeless man? Leave your comments below.

[Photo via YouTube screenshot]