A West Palm Beach police officer is under investigation after grabbing a woman by her hair and slamming her on the ground. The incident was caught on camera, as chaos erupted outside of the Banko Cantina restaurant after a fight broke out in the stairwell of the establishment.
According to local news, it all started when 31-year-old Amandy Fountain was kicked out of the Mexican restaurant and asked to wait outside. While several followed suit, things took a turn for the worse when a woman appeared to shove an officer as she exited the building. Immediately after, the officer, who has since been identified as Kevin Harrell, grabs the woman, who has been identified as Shannon Chatman, 25, by her hair and slams her on the ground.
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As several friends try to rush to Chatman’s rescue, Harrell grabs her by her hair and drags her toward the police car. Fountain was also arrested in the incident.
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Shortly after, the third officer moves into the frame, holding a man in a headlock. When the man falls out, the cop drags him through the street toward his car. The entire incident was caught on video and posted on Facebook.
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Upon its release, Sgt. David Lefont released a statement about the subsequent investigation into the officers’ use of force.
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“All use of force incidents are fully reviewed, which is why we are gathering information,” he said. “We know the public wants to know more about what happened, so we are moving quickly to gather all the facts. We will provide that information as soon as we obtain it.”
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In his defense, Harrell said that Chatman shoved his face, which forced him to grab her by the hair and throw her on the ground. But she got back up, which prompted him to grab her up again, in an attempt to restrain and arrest her. Meanwhile, the officer that arrested Fountain claimed she cursed at him and punched him prior to her arrest, which prompted him to punch her in the jaw to defend himself.
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Both women were charged with battery of an officer and resisting an officer with violence. Meanwhile, the officers are under investigation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBea2VMb-mg&feature=youtu.be
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