4 months ago
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Newly released police body cam video shows the moment North Carolina cops tackled a black woman to the ground before kneeing and punching her during an arrest that drew strong outrage after bystander video was posted.
The incident took place around 2pm on November 13 when a group of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers surrounded Bojangles employee Christina Pierre and Anthony Nathaniel Lee as they sat on a park bench and smoked marijuana.
During the incident, cops grabbed both and tackled them to the ground. Both the bystander video and the body cam footage released on Tuesday showed police kneeing and punching Pierre as several officers had her restrained.
The footage drew a rebuke from community leaders who denounced the use of force.
An investigation cleared six of the seven officers involved. But, police dropped all charges against both suspects.
Newly released police body cam video revealed the violent encounter between Christina Pierre and seven officers from Charlotte police
Earlier bystander video showed a wider angle of the encounter as the group of cops detains Pierre. Bodycam video was released on Tuesday
Officer Vincent Pistone was identified as the cop who repeatedly punched Pierre during the arrest. He was suspended for 40 hours after an internal affairs investigation determined that he used excessive force.
The bodycam video starts off with one cop approaching Pierre and Lee sitting on park bench near the highway.
The officer says: 'What's up guys? You guys hanging out?'
'Just got off of work,' Lee says.
Pierre then says: 'What did we do wrong?' as another officer approached them from behind.
'It smells like you're smoking weed,' the first officer says.
'It's the stuff from the store, they sell it in the store. The THCA,' Lee says.
The second cop then steps in front of them and says: 'You smoking weed? You guys smoking weed?'
With the joint in her hand, Lee says: 'We got it from the smoke shops.'
That's when the one cop proceeds to grab Lee by his wrist and Pierre steps in and says: 'Woah, what are you doing?'
The first responding cop then snatched Pierre by her shirt and pulls her from the bench.
As she tries to get back to the bench to grab her belongings, the cop handling her pulls her by her arm and says: 'Ma'am you're under arrest' as she tries to fight him off.
The video then cuts to the woman pinned to the ground as multiple cops restrain her.
With one cop's right leg on the back of her leg, the others grab her and one says: 'Put you hands behind you back' as he repeatedly kicks he with his knee in the back of her leg.
Pierre was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, resisting officers and marijuana possession. All of her charges, along with Lee's were dropped
Pierre was pulled off of the bench after one cop grabbed her coworker by his wrist to arrest him. She was then thrown to the ground where the rest of the violent encounter took place
That same officer, Pistone, who was not involved in the initial encounter, then takes his fists and starts to pummel her in the leg as the other officers continue to restrain her on the grass.
'Stop resisting,' the officer who punches her says as Pierre cries out.
The video cuts to the woman being taken to the police car as she screams: 'What is going on? What did I do? What did I do?'
With a slightly bloodied face, the group of officers then try to seat her in the vehicle, as one comes in from the other side and grabs her arm to get in.
Pierre hit one cop in the face as they moved to arrest her, while Lee was armed with a 9mm handgun, according to the department.
Police said Pierre began 'laying on her hands and not allowing officers to arrest her' - so one cop began striking her thigh and shouted at her repeatedly to 'stop resisting.'
Authorities claim Pierre was struck using a trained technique in an attempt to gain her cooperation.
The arrest first came to light after a viral video from a bystander showing the scene and officers on top of Pierre. That led to outrage from the community over the use of force.
'These are tense situations that have the potential to escalate quickly,' CMPD said in a statement at the time.
'Police use of force is never easy to watch. Officers are trained to strike large muscle groups in order to gain compliance during an arrest.'
Pierre was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, resisting officers and marijuana possession. All of her charges, along with Lee's were later dropped.
Pierre is seen screaming as the group of officers transport her to the vehicle. In the video Pierre said: 'What is going on? What did I do? What did I do?'
Residents in the area said the social media video from the bystander was upsetting to watch.
'It doesn't really matter, unless someone takes a gun out and points at you, you shouldn't be beating on anyone,' local man Abdul Evans told WSOC-TV after the bystander video.
'It took 17 blows to get her to complain. That's insane to me,' activist Kass Ottley told the broadcaster.
'The use of force does not fit the situation and they are supposed to deescalate the situation,' she added.
'Like many other Charlotteans, we were shocked and saddened by the video of an incident between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and a Bojangles employee,' the fast food chain said.
'While we wait to learn more of the details of what led to the incident, we plan to cooperate fully with any investigation.
'We can confirm that the individual in the video and her partner had recently clocked out from their shifts at Bojangles and left the property.
'They both remain employed by Bojangles at this time.'
