*A viral video showing an Atlanta police officer’s aggressive arrest of a Black woman has sparked outrage.
Angel Guice, the woman in the video, and an unnamed male were hanging out at Shady Valley Park in northeast Atlanta unknowingly after hours. A cop patrolling the area, identified only as Officer Brooks, issues a citation to the pair. As reported by Revolt, the male signs the citation after the officer explains that he will go to jail if he doesn’t.
Guice allegedly refused to sign the citation and that’s when the encounter escalated. Officer Brooks handcuffs her and draws his taser as the woman screams and cries, per the report.
Guice, who spent a night in jail, has lawyered up, alleging excessive force by the officer, CBS46 reports.
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Last night @angelguice & her friend were hanging out at a park unknowingly after hours. Officer Brooks pulled up, asked for ID, used agressive force @atlantapolice Please share!@shaunking @tamikadmallory @attorneycrump@naacp@atlscoop@shaderoom
@alwaysfilmthepolice pic.twitter.com/mT07sJrUSB— Lynn (@MsLynnMusic) August 10, 2022
“The officer did in fact tell her to put her hands behind her back but he never offered her an explanation for why she was arrested,” said the woman’s civil rights attorney Lee Merritt.
Merritt said Guice is recovering from mental and emotional trauma, according to the report.
“The officer’s refusal to provide that explanation escalated the situation to one that was deeply agitated and completely unnecessary,” Merritt continued in an interview with CBS46 on Tuesday.
APD is aware of a video circulating regarding an APD Officer arresting a woman for being in a city park after hours. There is more to this story than the short social media video shows. To View the APD Body Worn Camera Footage & APD Statement: https://t.co/K9QCKYghmc pic.twitter.com/sSJ3NOqFYe
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) August 10, 2022
The Atlanta Police defended its officer and said he committed no violation. The department released the body camera footage from the woman’s arrest saying the short clips circulating online do not show the full story.
Per Revolt, in a statement, the department said Guice did not initially sign the citation, so the officer proceeded to “physically arrest the individual.”
They added, “She began actively resisting his efforts. This resulted in a physical altercation as the officer attempted to place her into custody.”
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