Video of an Arizona State cheerleader’s arrest is going viral for showing the student being smacked hard to the ground by police, then handcuffed, and arrested for interfering with the arrest of another person outside a bar in Tempe, Arizona.
The incident occurred in July, but the Tempe Police Department has now made the video public, KNXV-TV reported.
The video shows an altercation between several folks on the street outside the bar. Before the altercation between citizens got very far, though, several police officers, who happened to be standing only feet away, are seen reacting quickly to take down one of the street combatants.
But as they started cuffing the man, ASU senior Eryn Bonner can be seen in the video stepping in, yelling “let him go,” as she began trying to interpose herself among the officers who were cuffing the street-fighting suspect.
Initially, she was violently pushed away from the scrum, but she jumped back up and launched herself at the police a second time. At that point, an officer threw her to the ground and began cuffing her.
WATCH:
Police say that Bonner leaped among the officers and began physically punching and kicking them as they worked to subdue the other suspect. They later charged her with assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstruction of a police officer, the news outlet added.
The department also suggested felony charges, but the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to file them.
In addition, at least one charge was dropped, but the County Attorney said it happened only so they could refile the charge with others. A police spokesperson told the media that, “The City Attorney’s Office dismissed the prior charge to refile the misdemeanor charge along with any additional appropriate charges after reviewing the complete, available evidence.”
Unsurprisingly, the Bonner family is gearing up a lawsuit and says that the officer who cuffed the cheerleader should be fired.
“This was very extreme, very excessive, and there was no need for double pushes, jumping on top, and multiple strikes,” family attorney Benjamin Taylor said. “The city of Tempe would be very vindictive to try to charge her again after they see what this officer did.”
The family also issued a statement lamenting the arrest:
There are no words to fully describe the heartbreak of watching our daughter being hurt by someone entrusted to protect and serve our community. The hardest thing is seeing the pain and sadness in her eyes that we cannot take away. Expecting public servants to live up to the highest standards of their profession is not an act of animosity toward those who serve with honor. Rather, it is essential to preserving public trust and upholding the integrity and legitimacy of our institutions. We respectfully ask for your prayers and support as our daughter and our family continue to heal.
Tempe police chief Kenneth McCoy said that the video shows that the woman’s arrest was justified because it clearly shows she assaulted police and tried to interfere in the arrest of the street brawler.
“I’m thankful that we have cameras in our community where we were able to capture the whole incident, not just the 30-second clip that was seen by most,” the chief said. “We investigate everything that took place, and so all of the actions and, you know, the officers who were involved are part of that investigation. We look at our policies and procedures to make sure everything was done correctly.”
Despite the chief’s statement, the department has said it is still reviewing the incident under its standards of conduct.
Follow Warner Todd Huston Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston