A Miami police officer is in trouble for an incident where he broke a woman’s wrist for no reason at all.
Woman is knocked over by police captain during Art Week
The situation began when the victim was at an Art Week event with her boyfriend. She said she looked down to check her phone, and then noticed officers were grabbing her boyfriend and handcuffing him. When she approached the area to check and see what was going on, the situation became violent.
A Miami Police captain approached the woman as she was talking to her boyfriend, then tried to stop her. He ended up shoving her to the ground with both of his hands and breaking her wrist during this interaction. The victim was wearing heels and fell to the ground very hard. She instantly felt a great deal of pain and knew she had sustained a serious injury. The officer later arrested her for obstruction and resisting an officer without violence.
Photos that the victim released to a civilian watch group showed the woman with a swollen wrist and bruising on her arm. The panel that reviewed the case sustained misconduct allegations against the officer for improper procedures, excessive use of force, and negligence of duty. The victim remained in a cast for six weeks, did not work, and then ended up switching jobs.
The director of the panel also expressed concerns that this officer had been in a similar situation multiple times. He has a history of use of force complaints, driving offenses, racist statements while on duty, and other forms of inappropriate behavior. Altogether he had amassed 43 incidents since starting with the department in 2004.
The department had suspended the captain shortly before the panel made their decision for using racist language in front of a large city commission meeting.
Many who are familiar with the officer are pressuring the Miami police chief to formally announce the termination of the captain based on his lengthy history. The department’s internal affairs initially claimed that they could not sustain any discipline against the captain for breaking this women’s wrist, until the panel also conducted their own review and reversed the decision.
Lawsuits for excessive force
Police do receive training regarding how they can use force against suspects and others to secure an area and defend themselves. However, these tactics are generally used on suspects who are armed or pose a clear threat of violence. It seems outrageous that a much larger male officer would push a young woman to the ground and then try to arrest her without any underlying crime. Resisting arrest charges are a common way for officers to justify this kind of behavior.
Get help from a police brutality lawyer in Miami
Contact Mario Trespalacios for information about lawsuits against the police.
9495 SW 72 Street, Suite B-275
Miami, FL 33173
Phone: 305-261-5800
Website: www.mtpalegal.com