In the midst of protests that are currently sweeping the nation, American police forces are once again under the microscope as their frequent interactions with protesters are being broadcast to the world in realtime.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a disturbing videotape from Saturday night began making the rounds on social media and nearly immediately stirred the populace...and the Mayor.
The video, shown on TV as captured by local reporters, shows a group of police officers in riot gear and gas masks surround a car being driven by a man with a woman in the passenger seat. The officers appear to fire a stun gun at the woman and then pull her from the car. They then use a stun gun on the man. They use zip-tie handcuffs on the woman on the ground. The couple did not appear to be fighting police.
TV reporters said the police had earlier broken glass on the car and flattened the tires.
These officers have now lost their jobs.
Two police officers have been fired and three others placed on desk duty over excessive use of force during a protest arrest incident involving two college students, Atlanta’s mayor said Sunday.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said at a news conference that she and police Chief Erika Shields made the decision after reviewing body-camera footage of a Saturday night incident that first gained attention from video online and on local news.
“Use of excessive force is never acceptable,” Bottoms told reporters. Shields called the footage “really shocking to watch.”
As protests continue to grow around the nation, it won’t be surprising for us to be made aware of several more incidents such as this.
Video of the incident can be seen below, but we must warn you that it is heavily disturbing.
#BREAKING: 2 Atlanta Police officers fired after video showed them using "excessive force" in the arrest of two college students Saturday night, the Mayor says.
The arrest was reportedly due to disregarding curfew & orders from police.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 31, 2020
