A Georgia police officer is being accused of using excessive force against a Black woman during an arrest.
Body camera footage shows Machester officer Donovan Scott-Sinclair body slamming and tasing the woman, identified as Zykerria Bowles, during a June 10 arrest, per Atlanta Black Star.
Joined by the local NAACP chapter, Bowles spoke out about her arrest at a press conference earlier this month, saying she felt "hurt" and "violated."
“I was scared for my life out there, really,” Bowles said in a statement.
Manchester Police said an officer initially pulled Bowles over for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt. When the officer approached Bowles' vehicle, he noticed a “strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle” and two other female passengers in the car, according to police.
Scott-Sinclair ordered all three women to step out of the vehicle. Bowles allegedly yelled at the officer as he questioned one of the passengers, which police said created a disturbance. The officer later found a small container of marijuana, prompting him to arrest Bowles, police said.
According to police, Scott-Sinclair employed force against Bowles as she was resisting arrest.
"Officers were attempting to effect an arrest on Zykerria Bowles for Possession of Marijuana, but Zykerria began resisting arrest and kicked Officer Scott-Sinclair in the chest causing his body-camera to fall off. Zykerria (Bowles) then punched Officer Scott-Sinclair in the face and causing damage to the sunglasses the Officer was wearing," authorities said in a statement.
Bowles was charged with obstruction, battery on a police officer, possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass damage to property. The case is still under investigation.
Watch body camera footage of the arrest here.
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