Whatever these officers’ reasoning is, it would seem like Roy did something to get himself in this situation, and while the episode description for “Doppelganger” said Oliver and Thea know why Roy’s back in town, Arrow fans will have to wait for that answer.
Given the current state of Star City, one has to wonder why these officers are using a phonebook to rough up Roy Harper.
Marc Guggenheim said back when Roy’s return was announced that his presence in town is tied to a “high-stakes matter,” which makes sense, because just about everything in Arrow Season 6 has been a high-stakes situation.
Ricardo Diaz doesn’t seem like the type of guy who will bring an officer to justice for leaving bruises on a guy, so maybe they’re just using whatever’s handy to inflict the most damage and spare their hands?