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AUSTIN (KXAN) – A video captured of an arrest in northeast Austin appears to show an officer beating a woman multiple times while she is being held on the ground.
The incident came after Austin police issued an arrest affidavit stating that they refused to get up and scratch one of the officers in an Austin mall.
According to the affidavit, Simone Nicole Griffith, 26, was seen camping / sleeping on the side of the Carousel Pediatrics-Springdale building in the area 7112 Ed Bluestein Boulevard on October 30th around 5:15 pm
APD reports that a security guard posted a criminal trespassing report for the complex, but Griffith still refused to leave the building. The officer answering said she still refused to get up and swore aggressively and said, “Shut up, I’m not doing anything. I know the m —– f —– g-law, b—-! ” The officer says he called a second unit because of their behavior, and they report to the crime scene.
The officer says he reported Griffith that she was under arrest and she said, “No, I’m not. I don’t have to get up for you. You are not the law, b–. “
When additional help arrived, the officer says he and another officer tried to lift Griffith off the floor, but she wouldn’t. The officer says that at this point they tried to handcuff her while she was on the floor, but she pulled her hands away and hit and scratched his face.
“[We] went on to tell [Griffith] do not resist, but she has always resisted “, it says in the affidavit.
At this point in the video you can see one of the officers punching Griffith in the upper body at least five times.
The affidavit stated that the officers “ultimately had to use force to arrest her, even though Nicole has already been notified that she has been arrested.”
In the affidavit, he claims that Griffith’s scratches resulted in a 1/2 inch bloody gash on the left side of my cheek, in addition to my kicking my torso / hip area.
Griffith is charged with the offense of opposing arrest and criminal trespassing. Griffith has been arrested multiple times in the past and charged with resisting the arrest in another Texas city.
An expert opinion on the use of violence on video
An expert on the use of force, KXAN, said all law enforcement agencies have an investigative process into violations of the department’s policies or incidents of use of force, he said.
Usually the internal affairs department of the agency investigates the incident and sends a final report to the officers’ superiors, including any recommendations for disciplinary action if the department deems it warranted.
He said the police chief makes the final decision on whether an officer will be disciplined and what that disciplinary action would entail. He added that a video does not provide full details of what happened between officers and the people they interact with, and that decisions about the use of force are made in real time based on the current circumstances.
KXAN has contacted the Austin Police for comment. We’ll update as soon as we hear something.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/woman-accused-of-camping-in-front-of-south-austin-business-arrested/
