A Worthington man is suing that city’s police department, alleging a Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force agent used excessive force after stopping him for tailgating officers. A dash-cam video shows agent Joe Joswiak, weapon drawn, yelling obscenities as he pulls Anthony Promvongsa from the vehicle. Joswiak then punches and knees the suspect multiple times, dragging him to the ground where he is handcuffed.
Worthington Police Chief Troy Appel said earlier the video shows only part of the incident that resulted in criminal charges. Prosecutors alleged the suspect tailgated a squad car, swerved towards it, made threats and resisted the officer’s attempts to get him out of his vehicle. But Teresa Nelson with American Civil Liberties Union Minnesota says the arrest is part of a larger pattern of behavior by Worthington police and the Buffalo Ridge Task Force.