An Atlanta police officer and sergeant have been relieved of their duties after a video showing one of them kicking a woman in the head goes viral.
The video was posted to the Atlanta Uncensored Instagram account on Monday. The footage shows the woman facedown on the ground with her hands handcuffed behind her back. As the detained woman appears to raise her head, the male sergeant identified as Sgt. Marc Theodule kicks her in the face as she lies defenseless on the ground. Another officer identified as Officer Bridge Citizen stood by and did not appear to intervene.
The shocking occurrence unfolded around 12:30 p.m. Monday when officers were called due to a woman being armed and pointing a gun at several people. Once law enforcement arrived, they were able to arrest the woman and recover the weapon. They then requested Grady EMS to transport her to the hospital for an evaluation after becoming concerned with her mental state. At some point, the sergeant kicked the woman, though it remains unclear what prompted him to do so.
Sgt. Theodule has since been placed on unpaid suspension, while Officer Citizen was placed on an administrative assignment as an investigation takes place.
“Upon reviewing the video, the actions of the sergeant appear to be unacceptable, and we are also concerned with the apparent lack of reaction from another officer present during the incident,” a police statement read.
