A shocking video showing North Carolina police repeatedly punching a black woman arrested for smoking marijuana has sparked an internal investigation as Charlotte’s police chief says he “understands[s] that anger.”
The now-viral footage shows several officers pinning Christina Pierre to the ground near a bus stop Monday afternoon — with one throwing several lefties.
“What the f–k! Let him go!” one bystander shouted, as another stated that the police had beaten “a damn woman.”
“Why did he hit a woman like that?” others in the angry crowd asked in horror, as someone shouted, “You’re going to kill him on the ground.”
As anger grew, police on Tuesday said Pierre had “resisted arrest” and “punched an officer in the face” before the start of the disturbing clip.
The man with her, Anthony Lee, “had a firearm” — a 9mm handgun — and both “resisted arrest, and a struggle with officers ensued,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
“An officer threw multiple strikes to the female subject’s right thigh and ‘Stop fighting’ was stated several times,” police said.
“After several repeated verbal commands, an officer hit the female subject seven times with knee strikes and 20 closed blows” to try to “gain compliance,” the statement said.
“The officer was deliberate about where the strike was made,” the department alleged, suggesting all punches had been to his thigh.
However, police Chief Johnny Jennings acknowledged at a news conference Wednesday that Pierre suffered facial injuries consistent with “either a punch or an abrasion,” possibly during an earlier struggle with an officer whose body camera was malfunctioning. That will be the focus of an internal investigation, he said.
“I understand. I understand the anger,” said the police chief.
Christina Pierre was charged with assault on a government officer, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT
“I understand the emotions that come when you see a video involving an officer punching a woman that we are trying to arrest and subdue. I understand that.”
While still “proud” of the “great men and women who do great things every day” on his team, he acknowledged concerns over the video’s “impact” on society.
“If I look at this whole thing, are there things we can do better? exactly. Are there things I wish never happened? Of course,” he said, vowing to use it to become “better.”
“But we don’t want an incident like this, in the public eye, to define who we are as an agency,” he said, saying the use of force never looked “pretty,” even if it was justified.
Promising a full investigation, he said it would be a “long road” with “many sleepless nights” to determine “what steps to take.”
“I don’t want to see any of my officers have to get to the point where they have to go on strike or use violence against anybody,” he said – while also not wanting to “see any of my officers attacked.
Pierre was charged with assault on a government official, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.
Anthony Lee was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT
Lee was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.
Both suspects are black, while the unidentified officer who threw the punch is white.
“When you add the race factor into all of this, it escalates,” said Jennings, who is black.
“Because I think we’ve seen historically, not just in Charlotte, but across the country, uh, it’s the mistreatment of black and brown people by the police.”
The chief stressed that his department has made “huge strides” and has “advanced” its policies since the nationwide reckoning with police brutality in 2020, which was sparked by the police killing caught on camera of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Officials are reviewing police body camera video of the arrest, which Jennings said he is now prohibited by law from making public.
“I think people have the right to see this video. I’m sure people will see this video,” Jennings said, saying he has filed a petition with the court to release it, which could take “a few months.”
Smoking marijuana recreationally is legal in 24 US states and Washington, DC, but it is banned in all southern states except Virginia. It is legal to openly carry a handgun without a permit in the Tar Heel State.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
