Philadelphia officer accused of slamming handcuffed man charged with assault

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Authorities say a Philadelphia police officer who was caught on video slamming a handcuffed man into the side of a swimming pool has been charged with assault.

A spokesman for the district attorney's office says James Yeager was arrested Thursday.

A video uploaded to social media the day of the July 2017 encounter shows a group of officers grabbing a handcuffed man and slamming him to the ground.

The video also shows an officer picking up the man and smashing his head into the side of an above-ground pool that was set up on the street.

The police department did not have an immediate comment on Yeager's arrest but said he was fired last August.

The Fraternal Order of Police has said the video clip didn't tell the whole story.

"The viral video of this incident does not tell the entire story, Officer Yeager, like all citizens, is entitled to a fair hearing in the judicial system. And we look forward to officer Yeager being exonerated," the FOP said.

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