The police chief in Tuscaloosa, Alabama says he was disturbed by bodycam video of a young woman’s arrest, and two officers have been placed on desk duty.
According to CNN, Chief Steve Anderson said he was “disgusted” after watching the footage of Jhasmynn’s arrest. He said the officers’ actions went against department training and that disciplinary proceedings are underway.
Police say Jhasmynn, 22, was stopped last Friday on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident. Jhasmynn says she and the other driver had already exchanged information. Video shows officers asking for her license and registration, then telling her to step out of the car. She says she tried to reason with the officers and pulled her arm away as they handcuffed her.
The footage shows her taken to the ground with officers on top of her. It also shows an officer striking her with a baton, and one officer can be heard threatening her. A local news report said she had taken a baton and struck an officer before the video begins, a claim that was part of the early coverage of the incident.
She was arrested and charged with disarming a police officer, resisting arrest and assault. She spent two days in jail, and her family says she did not receive medical attention even though she was bleeding from the head. The family also says no one from the police department has contacted them, and that they have only heard through local media that the charges will likely be dropped.
The case remains under review, and the charges were still pending at the time of this report.
