Witnesses say N.J. police kicked, punched, & allowed dog to bite man before he died in custody

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The death of an unarmed man while in the custody of Vineland, NJ police is now being probed.

Officials released some details of the arrest of Phillip White, which has now gained national attention, but questions still remain.

According to NBC, officials say the incident began at 10:53 a.m. Tuesday when two Vineland Police officers responded to a call for service for a disorderly person on the 100 block of Grape Street in Vineland. When they arrived they found 32-year-old Phillip White.

“Shortly thereafter, officers called for medical assistance in response to White appearing to be in respiratory distress,” a spokesperson for the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office said. “During the incident White was handcuffed and restrained.”

White was placed in an emergency vehicle and taken to the hospital, according to officials. At some point, White became unresponsive and medical personnel instituted CPR. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. What remains in question are the events that occurred immediately before White’s death.

A witness told NBC that White was kicked, punched, and bitten by the police dog while in custody:

“They punched him, stomped him, kicked him and then they let the dog out of the car,” said Ricardo Garcia. “The dog bit him on his face and around his body. There’s no call for that. Once a man is handcuffed and unconscious, you should have stuck him in the patrol car and take him to the police station. Instead they decided to beat him right here.”

Another witness, Luis Martinez said White wasn’t doing anything wrong:

“The other cop let the dog out and they just kept punching him and the dog kept biting him at the same time,” Martinez said. “He was on the floor. Like, he was knocked out.”

Details have been very grim up to this point while officials have not released much details. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said the incident is under investigation.

“Events that transpired between the time of the officer’s arrival and White’s transport to the hospital are under investigation by the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office,” the spokesperson said.

This is a case we will wait to see how this unfolds. Please stay tuned.