Video footage of an Alabama cop beating a Black man quite ruthlessly has been circulating on social media, drawing the attention of netizens and prompting a review by authorities.
The incident happened on January 21 around 11:30 p.m., and the video footage of the same shows an Alabama cop bashing 37-year-old Lundon Harkey’s head into the pavement before punching him multiple times on the back of the head. He also appeared to be hit with a flashlight at least once.
The Huntsville Police Department published a press release on January 23, which mentioned that officers attempted to pull-in Harkey because he failed to make a stop. The police further said that Harkey allegedly led the cop on a short pursuit before he crashed his car and then tried to run away on foot. The police also claimed that he had swallowed some “illegal substances” to ensure that the authorities could not get them.
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The press release further mentioned that Harkey was taken to a hospital for a checkup but there is no information confirming the presence of drugs he apparently swallowed. However, he was still charged with tampering with physical evidence related to the drugs he swallowed, trying to flee a police officer, and resisting arrest.
The video footage, however, shows a different story and Harkey’s attorneys also confirmed that he did not resist arrest. Attorneys Harry Daniels, Roderick Van Daniel and Gerald Griggs have now been retained to represent Harkey, though no lawsuit has been filed yet.
Talking about the allegedly brutal treatment that Harkey received at the hands of the cop, Attorney Daniels said in a press release, “How many times do we have to see this kind of reckless and needless brutality before we start taking it seriously?”
The statement from his attorneys further mentioned, “Lundon Harkey was subdued and defenseless but that didn’t stop this officer from repeatedly slamming his head into the pavement. That didn’t stop him from clubbing him with a flashlight and that didn’t stop his fellow officers from spraying him with pepper spray and covering his face so it burned and smothered him.”
Huntsville, AL🚔
•Lundon Harkey (allegedly) fled a traffic stop, crashed & resisted arrest.
•Harkey’s attorney released a short, highly-edited, cell phone video of part of the arrest sequence.
•Harkey is refusing to comply & the officer appears to be using reasonable… pic.twitter.com/WeBjuwpIiq
— police.law.news (@policelawnews) January 30, 2026
The incident was fortunately recorded by another Black man named Ramiah Turner who appeared to be recording from a short distance. Turner was understandably shocked as the incident unfolded in front of him, and while recording, he could be heard saying, “Oh my god, what the f—, what the f—.” The video further shows the cop telling Harkey, “Gimme your hands,” while he was already lying with his face down on the road.
As the cop continued to beat him, Harkey could be heard saying, “Oh my god, you’re going to kill me.” As Turner posted the video on Facebook, netizens’ comments poured in as one person said, “This is so sad. First the man got slammed into concrete. Hit over the head with a flashlight. Hell is he even (conscious) to follow orders?? Then to be repeatedly hit over the head is unnecessary force when clearly there’s no movement… the office(r) went to look for help because in that moment he knew he f-cked up.”
Another one added, “I believe that man is unconscious so how can he do as he’s being told?” Following the incident, the Huntsville police have confirmed that the involved officer has been placed on administrative leave though his name has not been revealed yet.
