Bodycam footage released by HPD captures officer’s alleged attack on suspect

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Honolulu police officer’s own body camera captured his alleged attack on a man he arrested during a burglary call.

The man had to go to the hospital for his injuries and the officer is now the target of an FBI criminal investigation.

HPD blurred some of the videos released to Hawaii News Now, but you can still clearly hear what is happening.

The video is from June 28, 2020 and shows Honolulu police officers responding to a burglary call at home off Diamond Head Road. They found two men hiding in the attic.

The home was filled with items, and you can hear the officers trying to navigate through the clutter.

After about 20 minutes, they were able to get the suspects down.

One of them was Souriya Xoumanivong.

An officer is heard saying, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” to Xoumanivong.

He responds, “Yes, sir. Coming out.”

That’s when you can see, through the blurry video, Xoumanivong gets hit in the face ― allegedly by Officer Corey Morgan.

Xoumanivong cried out and said, “You don’t have to do that.”

Morgan yells at him, “Shut up! Don’t f****** say anything to me.”

After the initial hit, the handcuffed Xoumanivong walks with Morgan to his left and another officer on his right as they move toward the front door of the home. At one point, all of them stop because there is a commotion with the other burglary suspect.

As Xoumanivong stands there, not speaking or resisting, Morgan allegedly strikes him again.

This time Xoumanivong falls to the ground screaming out in pain.

Morgan then yells at him, “Stop resisting! Let’s go,” implying that Xounmanivong was not complying.

Xoumanivong continues to scream out in pain, “Ah my eye, ah my head!”

Morgan then tells him, “Shut up! You want to f****** burg a house, take it like a man.”

Following the incident, Xoumanivong had a broken orbital bone and needed stitches above his eye.

Despite the body camera footage, Morgan wrote in his report that “while escorting Xoumanivong from the upstairs bedroom, I noticed a small laceration above his left eye area.”

Morgan also wrote, “It is unknown how Xoumanivong suffered his injuries.”

The officer added the injuries may have happened while he was “frantically attempting to conceal himself within the dark attic.”

Morgan has been on restricted duty for more than a year. HPD said they notified the FBI about the incident and the agency is looking at possible civil rights violations. Another HPD officer who was at the scene is also on restricted duty.

Xounmanivong was charged with burglary and his criminal trial is scheduled for later this month.

Last week, he filed a civil lawsuit against the city and HPD.

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