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Sunrise Police Sgt. Christopher Pullease, Who Grabbed Officer By The Throat, Under Criminal Investigation

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) - A Sunrise police sergeant who was caught on camera attacking another officer during an arrest has been placed on administrative leave with pay.

Sgt. Christopher Pullease is under criminal investigation for grabbing a colleague by the neck when she tried to deescalate a situation involving a suspect.

"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," according to a statement from the department.

The 21-year veteran of the department had been placed on desk duty five days after the Nov. 19 incident.

The suspect had been handcuffed and placed into a cruiser when Pullease pointed pepper spray at him. The unidentified female officer ran to Pullease and pulled him by the belt away from the suspect, the video showed.

Pullease turned and put his left hand on her throat before pushing her back toward another police cruiser.

(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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