Harris County deputy suspended after striking handcuffed man after chase

HOUSTON – A veteran Harris County Sheriffs Office Deputy will face disciplinary action and re-training after an incident that happened while a suspect was in custody.

Deputy Tu Tran, currently assigned to the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, will face a three-day unpaid suspension because of his actions following a multi-agency police pursuit Oct. 12 that covered 85 miles and ended with the suspect's arrest in Jefferson County.

WATCH: East Freeway suspect apparently punched in throat

"Deputy Tran also has been ordered to undergo additional training and he is on a 90-day probationary status," wrote Harris County Sheriff's Office Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland.

On video captured by Sky 2, Tran appears to strike the handcuffed suspect, Mohmed Abu-Shlieba, 25, in the throat as he is places him into an unmarked police vehicle.

"Obviously, my thoughts are the officer overreached his boundaries. It wasn't necessary. The man was in custody and handcuffs," Brian Coyne, Abu-Shlieba's defense attorney, said by phone.

Tran has not been charged with a crime, and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges, according to Gilliland.

Abu-Shlieba, who has prior criminal convictions, is most recently charged with evading arrest.

Tran shot and killed a man with a gun outside a Houston nightclub in July 2015.

A friend of the man said at the scene that Juan Adolfo Ibarra, 24, was trying to leave the scene and should not have been shot.

A Harris County Grand Jury declined to indict Tran in March 2016.

Mohamed Ahmed Abu-Shlieba, the driver who police said led officers on a high-speed chase through three counties, is in custody. From Sky 2 video, it appeared one law enforcement official punched Abu-Shlieba, then put his hand on his neck. MORE ---> http://bit.ly/2ziVrb5?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_KPRC2_/_Click2Houston

Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Thursday, October 12, 2017