An Atlanta police sergeant and officer have been relieved of duty after a viral video shows one of the cops kicking a handcuffed woman in the face.
In the seven-second video clip of the incident, taken Monday (July 26), a woman is seen lying face down on the ground with her hands handcuffed behind her back. The officers are standing over her when she lifts her head and appears to spit at the sergeant’s feet. The police sergeant then kicks her in the face while the other officer watches from a few feet away.
It is unclear who recorded the incident, but the clip was posted to two social media accounts belonging to Atlanta Uncensored and captioned, “Do you think excessive force was used in this situation?”
The person managing the Atlanta Uncensored accounts told The Washington Post the person who recorded the incident wishes to remain anonymous.
Warning: The video below includes violent images.
Within hours, the video was viewed tens of thousands of times and eventually was addressed by the Atlanta Police Department, including Chief Rodney Bryant.
“Upon reviewing the video, the actions of the sergeant appear to be unacceptable and we are also concerned with the apparent lack of reaction from another officer present during the incident,” a statement from the department reads.
“The decision was made to immediately relieve both employees from duty, with the sergeant placed on unpaid suspension and the office placed on administrative assignment.”
The department also added that an internal investigation is being opened into the incident and will “be expedited.”
A summary of the original call says police were originally called to the area with reports of an armed female who had allegedly pointed a gun at several people. The officers located and detained the woman suspected of being armed and called paramedics after becoming concerned about her mental health.
No information was included about whether the woman received medical treatment after being kicked in by the sergeant, nor any updates on her condition. The department says she was not charged with a crime.
“We’ve been talking about community-police relations for a long time in Atlanta, and to see something like that –– a handcuffed individual kicked in the face –– nothing justifies that,” Atlanta NAACP Vice President Gerald Griggs told Fox 5.
“At no point should a citizen of Atlanta be kicked in the face while they’re handcuffed,” Griggs said.
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