Screenshot Courtesy of YouTube
Social media users are outraged after a viral cellphone video showed an Atlanta police officer using excessive force to arrest a woman at a Buckhead park. The incident happened on a Monday night.
In the 90-second clip on social media Wednesday, a police officer named Bill Brooks tried to arrest the woman in the video, Angel Guice, because she and her friend were hanging out at Shady Valley Park after hours. Guice told the officer she would sign the citation for the ordinance violation. But Brooks told her it was too late and she was under arrest. The officer continuously used force to try and place the woman’s hands behind her back and even tripped her, causing Guice to end up on the pavement. He got on top of her and pointed his stun gun at her head.
Many people online were upset at the video and expressed anger toward the officer for using excessive force on a woman.
“Omfg. I am so sorry,” singer Jordin Sparks commented. “This is horrible. And why is his face covered?”
“You don’t get arrested for not signing a citation?!! Wtf,” Ashley “Tiyumba” Wright wrote. “Here in CA, you don’t even have to sign a moving violation ticket!! This is INSANE!!”
“I’m so [sorry] this happened to Angel! Enforcement has to do a better job,” another person commented. “These officers and their egos are literally the worst. For some reason, they feel entitled to not give reasoning, which is ridiculous! Officers like this shouldn’t be in this line of work!”
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) released the full body camera footage of the incident and issued a statement Wednesday. According to the APD, parks in the city increased police presence following an Aug. 2 homicide in Wilson Mill Park and an Aug. 7 homicide at Rosa L. Burney Park. APD officers spotted the man and woman in the body cam footage at the park around 11:50 p.m., the park closed at 11 p.m. He issued both of them a citation for the violation.
In the statement, they stated that officers are permitted to “issue a copy of charges and release the individual once they have signed the ticket. Signing the ticket is not an admission of guilt but is an acknowledgment of receipt of the citation and of the person’s obligation to appear in court or pay a fine.”
When the person refuses to sign the citation, it notifies the official that the individual won’t appear in court or pay the fine, enabling them to arrest the person. The person would be brought to court to post bond. Officer Brooks informed the man and Guice that they would be arrested if they refused to sign the citation, prompting the man to sign it. Guice refused to sign the citation and asked for Brook’s badge number. He gave his name and badge number twice. Guice’s refusal to sign it led to her arrest.
“The officer then attempted to place the female’s hands behind her back, and she began actively resisting his efforts,” APD said. “This resulted in a physical altercation as the officer attempted to place her into custody.”
They continued, “No one wants to see a fight between an officer and a citizen, but a more in-depth review of the incident, using the body-worn camera footage, shows the officer repeatedly ask the female to comply by placing her hands behind her back, and the footage shows she refuses each time. The officer requested assistance, and another officer arrived on the scene the female was then placed into handcuffs.”
They also addressed some of the things Guice brought up like her Miranda rights, him wearing a mask and gloves, and her telling Brooks that she’d sign the citation.
With Miranda rights, the APD stated that an officer is not required to read the rights to them before the arrest. The reason Brooks was wearing gloves and a mask was that he was protecting himself from any diseases or viruses. As for her telling the officer she’d sing, they said that if an officer warns that someone will be arrested for something and is pushed to that level, that person will be taken to jail.
“In the end, this incident began as an effort to address issues in our city parks,” APD said. “The officer clearly intended to issue a citation to each party and allow them to leave the park. Several unnecessary decisions that were entirely out of our control, resulted in a physical altercation with an officer and the physical arrest of this individual.”
After being placed in the back of the police cruiser, Guice could be heard crying and praying for Brooks, asking God to vanquish any demons possessing him.