A shocking video has been released showing the moment a police officer in Florida threw peanuts into the mouth of a handcuffed homeless man.

The CCTV footage shows officer Andrew Halpin launching the legumes into the mouth of homeless 44-year-old Randy Miller during detention at a county jail in the city of Saratosa.

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The officer can be seen laughing as he attempts multiple times to throw the peanuts at the intoxicated inmate, with a colleague approaching Halpin from behind the reception desk to hand him more peanuts to use. Later on Miller can be seen rolling on the floor as he tries to eat the peanuts off the ground, with Halpin kicking the peanuts towards the handcuffed man.

Miller had been arrested on 18 July for trespass outside a convenience store, according to Fox 13 News. He was released on 28 July.

He has been arrested a total of 22 times in Sarasota County since September for minor charges related to trespassing, drinking in public and littering.

The officer involved has now been suspended, with Saratosa Police Chief Bernadette DiPino confirming in a statement that an investigation has been opened into the incident.

"I am disappointed in what I saw in this video. Due to the actions I've seen on camera, I immediately initiated an internal affairs investigation," she said.

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