Tempe Police recommended this week that a current Phoenix police officer and former officer be charged for a March 21 aggravated assault.
On Monday, the department submitted charges for Phoenix Police Officer Richard Ruff, 27, and former Officer Kenneth Palmer, 22, on suspicion of an aggravated assault at 230 W. Fifth St., police said.
The charges were submitted to the Tempe Prosecutor's Office, which was not allowed to comment about the case on Wednesday, said Robert Hubbard, deputy city attorney.
Another current Phoenix Police officer, Benjamin Scarborough, has already been charged with the aggravated assault, said Phoenix Police Sgt. Joel Tranter.
According to court documents, Scarborough repeatedly punched and kicked a man in the face and body, even after the man had lost consciousness.
The man required medical attention after he sustained multiple injuries from the assault, including lacerations to his face, a swollen right eye and broken teeth, the documents stated.
The documents further stated that Scarborough was under the influence of either alcohol or drugs during the time of assault, but the type of substance was not specified.
Ruff and Palmer were not mentioned in the court documents.
But both are suspects in the same case, and each face charges of assault, facilitation to commit aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, according to a Tempe Police Department news release.
Details of their roles in the assault were not released, and Tempe Police would not comment further on the matter.
Phoenix Police are still conducting an internal review of the incident, which will be concluded after the trial is finished, Tranter said.
"We're going to wait and see what the outcome is on the criminal side," he said.
Palmer resigned from the department two weeks ago, and the internal investigation into his conduct subsequently ended, Tranter said.
Ruff is still employed with Phoenix police and has been assigned to a non-enforcement position that is "essentially desk duty," Tranter said.
Ruff was previously suspended for 8 hours because of misconduct in 2006, Tranter said.
During that incident, the department found that Ruff had used inappropriate tactics on a prisoner, Tranter said.
"Any suspension is considered serious discipline," he added.
Internal investigation into the assault is being conducted by the Professional Standards Bureau, Tranter said.
If any allegation is proved from the investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Disciplinary Review Board, he said.
Reach the reporter at: matt.culbertson@asu.edu.
