The Palm Beach County Sheriff's office has placed a white deputy on administrative leave after he was caught on camera shoving a handcuffed 19-year-old Black man against a wall outside a fast food restaurant while threatening to show him "what f****** freedom of speech is."
Cellphone video of the incident begins with Kevin Wygant asking the Palm Beach County deputy, "I don't have the freedom of speech to you?"
The deputy, who has been identified by multiple media outlets as Deputy Charles Rhoads, can be heard to respond, "Not to us you don't."
The deputy is then seen pushing Wygant face-first against the wall and saying, "I'm going to show you what f******* freedom of speech is."
A bystander, who is not seen in the video, attempts to intervene, saying "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing bro?"
The video shows Rhoads turning to the bystander and tells him to "Get the f***" as the video stops.
Rhoads has been placed on administrative leave by the sheriff's office.
"Regarding the Deputy who is on the video circulating social media. I DO NOT condone this behavior and take this matter very seriously," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradhaw tweeted Monday. "I have requested an internal affairs investigation into this incident. This deputy has been placed on admin leave."
According to a release from the sheriff's office, the deputy was called to a restaurant in the Village of Wellington after two individuals entered and began making demands to speak with one of their employees. The two individuals allegedly created a disturbance, prompting the manager to ask them to leave. When they refused, the manager called 911.
One individual was arrested for Trespass after Warning, disorderly intoxication, resisting without violence and obstruction, the second individual was arrested for Trespass after warning