US police officer filmed 'tasing handcuffed man'

Prince George's County police say the suspect was attempting to escape custody

Amateur footage has emerged of a US police officer using a stun gun on a suspect who is seemingly already in handcuffs.

The video shows an officer lying on top of the suspect, forcing his head onto the road and using the stun gun in an attempt to restrain him.

The handucffed man appears to writhe around underneath the officer's weight before the weapon is used.

The suspect was identified by the police as 21-year-old Giovanti Moschino Young.

The altercation was recorded by a passing driver in Maryland, who reportedly called the officer's behaviour 'brutal' and 'uncalled for'.

The witness uploaded the footage to Twitter, where the hashtag #JusticeforVonte began circulating.

The officer's actions were defended by Deputy Chief Hank Stawinski from Prince George's County Police, claiming that force was used 'in a measurable way.'

“The individual would not yield, would not comply and unfortunately force had to be used, but it was used in a measurable way to gain control,” Stawinski told broadcaster WUSA.

“There’s a one-dimensional picture of this officer being painted across this country that doesn’t represent who he is, and doesn’t represent who we are,” he continued.

The police say that Young was arrested during a traffic stop earlier in that day, with the Twitter video showing his attempted escape from custody.

Dashcam footage was released of the earlier incident, where officers pulled over a car that passed through a stop sign. The police claim that after smelling marijuana, officers attempted to arrest those in the car with Young in need of restraining.