‘Allah can’t help you now:’ Phoenix cops mock a Muslim homeless man, 43, and ‘kneel on his neck’ during an arrest – just hours before he died in custody

Bodycam footage has captured the moment Phoenix police told a homeless black Muslim man who later died in custody that ‘Allah can’t help you now’ as an officer knelt on his neck during his arrest. 

An advocacy group on Thursday released what they say is previously unseen body camera footage of Muhammad Abdul Muhaymin Jr. being arrested outside a community center in Phoenix back in 2017. 

Muslim Advocates, a national civil rights organization, say the video shows officers mocking the 43-year-old’s religion when he cried out in pain and called for Allah as he was taken into custody. 

‘Allah? He’s not going to help you right now,’ an officer is heard saying. ‘Relax dude. Stop moving. Stop resisting. You understand?’

At the time, an officer could be seen kneeling on Muhaymin’s neck. 

An advocacy group on Thursday released what they say is previously unseen body camera footage of Muhammad Abdul Muhaymin Jr. being arrested outside a community center in Phoenix back in 2017Police tell Muslim man ‘Allah can’t help you now’ during fatal arrest

Muhaymin died shortly after officers took him into custody for having an outstanding criminal warrant. 

Previous body camera footage from the police included Muhaymin’s plea that he couldn’t breathe but left out the statements related to his faith.

Muhaymin’s sister filed a $10 million lawsuit back in 2017 against the city of Phoenix alleging excessive force and wrongful death.  

‘The city of Phoenix and the Phoenix police targeted my brother for his race, they mocked him for his religion and disability, and then brutally killed him,’ Muhaymin’s sister, Mussallina Muhaymin, said in a statement on Thursday as the bodycam video was released. 

‘Muhammad Muhaymin Jr. was a man – a man with a family who loved him.’

She has said her brother was homeless and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.

None of the officers were criminally charged or faced internal discipline for their actions. 

At one point, an officer could be seen kneeling on Muhaymin’s neck. Muhaymin died shortly after officers took him into custody for having an outstanding criminal warrant

Previous body camera footage from the police included Muhaymin’s plea that he couldn’t breathe but left out the statements related to his faith

Daniel O’Connor, a lawyer defending the officers in the lawsuit, said in an email on Thursday that he is prohibited from discussing ongoing litigation. The Phoenix Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Muhaymin’s family see echoes of his killing in George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May.

The incident began when police were called to a community center in the city’s Maryvale neighborhood in January 2017 after a dispute arose over whether Muhaymin, who suffered from mental disabilities, could bring his service dog into a public bathroom. 

Muhaymin was eventually allowed to go into the bathroom but officers ran a records check and discovered he had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court for a misdemeanor drug-paraphernalia possession charge.  

Once outside the community center, tensions rose as an officer told Muhaymin to put down his dog because he was under arrest. An officer knocked the dog out of Muhaymin’s hands after he said he didn’t have anyone to care for the animal, according to the lawsuit.

Muhaymin’s sisters, Mussallina Muhaymin and Zarinah Tavares, filed a $10 million lawsuit back in 2017 against the city of Phoenix alleging excessive force and wrongful death

Muhaymin was forced to the ground after police asked him to cooperate, and he screamed in pain as officers handcuffed him. An officer made a profane, belittling comment to Muhaymin that he was now facing a felony.

After officers brought Muhaymin to a police SUV in the parking lot, officers again urged Muhaymin to stop moving. Still, the struggle continued, with officers again forcing him to the ground. ‘I can’t breathe,’ Muhaymin said. ‘I can’t breathe.’

Minutes later, Muhaymin went into cardiac arrest, began vomiting and died, the lawsuit said.

After a review, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined in February 2018 to criminally charge the officers involved, saying it didn’t believe the officers committed acts that warranted prosecution.

Transcripts and video from depositions in the case became available after a federal judge in June denied a request made by the city of Phoenix to bar their release.

The request was made after attorneys for the city accused a lawyer representing Muhaymin’s sister of using social media to garner news coverage and incite violence against officers.