In a TikTok video circulating social media, a Black woman is seen being dragged out of her vehicle and violently arrested by a Vallejo police officer. The brutal punches she took raises the question as to whether the use of force was necessary.
The Vallejo Police Department said in a statement that an officer was flagged down by loss prevention staff from a retail store reporting a shoplifting last Friday. The officer tracked down the vehicle pointed out by the staff but authorities said the attempted traffic stop turned into a short chase. The pursuit ended when the driver ran a red light and collided with an SUV and cement truck. The passenger and alleged shoplifting accomplice fled on foot but the driver was apprehended at the scene.
The viral video shows what happened next.
Read the description from The San Francisco Chronicle:
The TikTok video, which was taken in the aftermath of the collision, shows an officer walking up to the driver’s side of the car, opening the door and leaning in. It is unclear whether they said anything, as the TikTok video doesn’t pick up much audio of the interaction. The driver’s side airbag appears to have been deployed. A woman then gets out, and the offifficer grabs her by the arm, slams her into the side of the cement truck and takes her to the ground. When she is on the ground, the officer hits her.
The video picks up what is apparently the woman saying, “You hit me in my face.” The officer then handcuffs the woman while she is pinned to the ground. The video ends with the officer lifting the woman to her feet and leading her away.
Sheesh... did she need to be slammed down like that?
The department said in their statement the officer’s use of force was part of a “control take down” to prevent her from running and the punches he threw was to “gain immediate compliance” to handcuff her. Upon searching the vehicle, the cops say they recovered $2,000 worth of stolen merchandise. They also said the driver was already on felony probation for grand theft and shoplifting for stealing $30k worth of merchandise from another store earlier this month.
Her alleged accomplice didn’t get too far either before being cornered by civilians.
The authorities didn’t name the driver but the description of her probation violation, charges and date of arrest match that of a Maiya Green according to the Solano County jail bookings website. She faces five charges including evading police, resisting an executive officer and shoplifting.
It’s unclear at the moment whether the arresting officer will be investigated or if the use of force will be reviewed by the department.