Iowa officer disciplined after yanking suspect's dreadlocks

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An angry white police officer repeatedly yanked on the dreadlocks of a handcuffed black man who was arrested after a dangerous high-speed chase in Iowa, then hit him twice on the back of the head, as seen in video obtained this week by The Associated Press.

Officer Adam Wittmayer was disciplined after an internal investigation into the April 19 incident in Waterloo, a city with a nearly all-white police force that has suffered a string of costly missteps involving the use of force and a lack of professionalism.

Wittmayer eventually put down tire-puncturing sticks to disable Keller's vehicle, which veered around a school bus and then toward the officer, "who had to run to get out of harm's way," according to a criminal complaint.

Patrol car video shows Keller complying with demands to get on the ground and showing no resistance as he is pinned down by three officers and handcuffed.

In May, Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams asked the Iowa attorney general's office to review Wittmayer's actions after discovering the footage on video captured by sheriff's deputies, according to an email obtained by the AP under the open records law.

Keller, who has no prior criminal record, is charged with four felonies, including attempting to assault a police officer, eluding police and possessing marijuana with intent to deliver.