‘You grabbed my jugular’: Orlando officer indicted after body cam video shows him shoving, grabbing man’s neck during arrest

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando police officer has been relieved of duty and is facing charges after body camera footage showed him pushing a man to the ground prior to his arrest near Lake Ivanhoe last September.

The officer, Frank Sikos, wrote in an arrest report that he responded to the area of Alden Road and Virginia Drive after two people said they saw a man, identified as Bennett Robinson, trying to get into a construction site across the street.

The arrest report says Robinson told officers he was a contractor inspecting the construction site on his walk home, around 4:15 a.m.

READ: ‘It’s still shocking’: Officer fired after school arrests of 6-year-olds, police chief says

Sikos wrote that Robinson was intoxicated, and he could smell alcohol on him.

The body camera footage obtained by Channel 9 shows Sikos walk up to Robinson, asking him what time it is and what he was doing at the construction site. The situation quickly escalates.

You can watch the body camera footage below:

Video: Orlando officer indicted after body cam video shows him shoving, grabbing man’s neck during arrest An Orlando police officer has been relieved of duty and is facing charges after body camera footage showed him pushing a man to the ground prior to his arrest near Lake Ivanhoe last September.

Robinson is pushed to the ground by Sikos and held there by his neck after he attempts to sit up.

“Sir, you grabbed my jugular and shoved me to the ground,” Robinson says in the footage after he’s put in handcuffs.

Sikos wrote in the report that he saw the muscles of Robinson’s face and upper body tighten, and as Robinson approached him, the officer said he feared the man was going to batter him.

In the report, Sikos wrote that he pushed Robinson to the ground with one hand to get some space, and then again to make him stay down, but he did not mention putting his hands on Robinson’s neck.

Robinson was arrested and charged with resisting arrest without violence, a charge which was eventually dropped.

Sikos was indicted by a grand jury this week and is facing three charges of misdemeanor battery.

Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said Sikos was relieved of duty with pay and is awaiting a court date.

“At the Orlando Police Department we also have a process that will require a very thorough investigation and at the conclusion of the investigation we will present our results,” Rolon said.

Sikos was set to retire in April. He has been with the department since February 2000.

Channel 9 investigative reporter Shannon Butler went through the video and reports and will have live updates on Eyewitness News at 6 p.m.

© 2020 Cox Media Group