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Phoenix Sergeant on Leave After Video Shows Plan to Provoke Student Arrests

An internal probe will weigh bodycam evidence against the sergeant’s claim that his off-duty protest activity was protected speech.

Overview

  • New bodycam footage, obtained Thursday by FOX 10, captured a masked man at a Chandler school protest stating a plan to let students assault him so officers could arrest them.
  • The Phoenix Police Department says Sgt. Dusten Mullen is on paid leave during a Professional Standards Bureau review, and a spokesperson confirmed he surrendered his gun and badge.
  • Mullen’s attorney on Friday rejected claims that he incited students, arguing his off-duty conduct was lawful speech and urging the department to lift the leave.
  • At the Jan. 30 Hamilton High walkout, the armed man confronted students as a teen who threw water was detained and released, with video indicating a cup rather than the bottle Chandler Police first described.
  • Investigators are reviewing blurred video provided by the county attorney and recent protest-response training Mullen completed, and the case could conclude soon or run up to 180 days under state law.