Sunrise police sergeant who grabbed officer’s throat retires. Criminal case is pending
A South Florida police sergeant caught on body-cam footage grabbing a fellow officer’s throat retired earlier this month.
Sunrise Sgt. Christopher Douglas Pullease, who has been with the department for more than 21 years, retired in a one-sentence memorandum submitted Nov. 4 to Chief Anthony Rosa, a copy of the memo shows.
“Please accept this memorandum as my formal notification that I am retiring from the City of Sunrise, effective on the above date (November 4, 2022),” Pullease said.
The 47-year-old’s retirement was first reported by WSVN 7 News.
Pullease was charged in July with one count of battery on a law enforcement officer, a count of tampering with evidence, assault on a law enforcement officer, and assault on a handcuffed man. His internal affairs investigation has not been completed, Community Resource Officer Justin Yarborough told the Miami Herald on Thursday.
The incident occurred Nov. 19, 2021, during the arrest of a man in Sunrise.
Pullease is seen on video arriving to the scene as officers were placing a “verbally and physically resistive” man into the back seat of a patrol vehicle for transport to jail, Sunrise Police Chief Anthony Rosa said in January. The suspect — identified in a police report as Jean Similien, 25, from Sunrise — had been arrested at 1201 Sunset Strip, accused of punching a man in the face several times.
Once Similien was inside the patrol vehicle in handcuffs, the sergeant got close to him, pointed a can of pepper spray in his direction and shouted: “I will remove your [expletive] soul from your [expletive] body.”
Concerned that the situation might escalate, a female officer approached the sergeant from behind, grabbed him by the back of his duty belt and pulled him backward, according to police.
The video subsequently shows Pullease turning around, putting his left hand up against the throat of the 28-year-old officer and pushing her back against a vehicle.
“Don’t you ever [expletive] touch me again,” Pullease is heard shouting at the fellow officer.
Authorities have not released the name of the officer — who has been with the department for about three years — because she is a witness, police have said.
Pullease’s next court date is on Jan. 20, Broward County court records show.
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
