An officer has been suspended after footage emerged of him putting a woman who had called the police in a headlock.
In the video, 26-year-old Florida resident Dyma Loving can be seen talking with the police before one of the officers, identified as A.I. Giraldo, forced her to the ground, despite her protests.
According to a police report obtained by Huffington Post, the authorities were called to the scene after Dyma said she had been threatened by a neighbour.
Speaking to the publication, the 26-year-old explained other officers had the situation under control, but then Giraldo arrived as backup and began arguing with herself and her friend, Adrianna Green.
The officer reportedly told Dyma to ‘calm down’, and refused to let her go and charge her mobile phone so she could call her daughter.
In the footage, which has been shared on social media, the officer can be heard saying the woman who called the police needs to be ‘corrected’.
Take a look here:
So yesterday me and my friend Adri Green were minding our business and this white male began to harass us as we walked up the street when we responded in a way he didn’t like he pulled a gun out in my face and told me he would shoot my burnt black ass face off my neck. I called the police and instead of them checking him and getting him together me and my friend gets interrogated like we are the ones with the gun then I ask if I can just go in the house to charge my phone.! Officer #7839 came 3rd car to the scene acting as if because he has a badge he’s oh so bad talking down upon us and acting like what we went through didn’t matter. My emotions were high I had a barrel in my face and I just wanted to talk to my kids. The officer was acting completely ignorant and hostile towards us so I felt pressure.! He said I needed to be Vaporacted or whatever which means sent to a mental hospital because I was in shock.! Officer A.Giraldo was completely wrong in every aspect in the situation. I clearly didnt get very loud until he lounged at me and became physical with me.! Anyone whose life was just threatened is going to be fuming idc what you say there is no calm when your adrenaline is going at a million miles per hour.! So instead of the man that pulled a gun out on me going to jail I wind up going to jail for disturbing the peace when my peace was disturbed just by walking down the street, I have to be harassed and my life threatened and for resisting arrest without violence .! 1 the officer was completely wrong in this situation 2 they never read me my rights 3 what’s the problem with me going to put my phone on the charger inside a house that isn’t even involved in the investigation 4 who said I can’t be emotionally stressed after all that happened this has to stop there is no way any of this should have happened but because of my skin tone for sure I’m the one being criminalized and treated like the one with the gun.! Then when she told him he could have approached me differently he said he should have tazed an unarmed civilian female that did absolutely nothing wrong.! Everyone please share share share #blacklivesmatter #benjamincrump #miamidadepolice #crookedcop #modernslavery #modernracism #miamidadecommissioner #homesteadpolicedepartment #floridacitypolicedepartment #mdpd #policebrutality
Posted by Dyma Tera Loving on Wednesday, 6 March 2019
Dyma argued back, asking why she’s the one who needs to be corrected when her life was threatened, and Giraldo suddenly moved in to grab her.
He appeared to be trying to put handcuffs on the protesting woman, but then grabbed her in a headlock and pulled her to the ground as she protested, saying ‘do not touch me’.
The officer then handcuffed Dyma before aggressively pulling her to her feet and leading her away. Dyma faces charges of misdemeanors after the incident.
The police report describes the 26-year-old as ‘acting belligerent’ and refusing to obey commands. Giraldo wrote he wrapped ‘both of his arms around her upper body’, which allowed him to ‘bring her down to the ground.’
Speaking to HuffPost following the incident, Adrianna, who filmed the video, explained how the neighbour ‘turned around and he just pulled out his shotgun on us’.
She continued:
He’s actually threatened to shoot my brother in the back, multiple times. I know he has guns. I’ve seen the guns. He goes hunting.
Dyma told the publication how she won’t be able to ‘see police officers the same’ after what happened.
She continued:
None of them. Because I literally called [them] for help with my life and that’s how [they] treated me. … [They] beat me up.
Adrianna added:
Why should my friend be arrested for telling the cops what was going on. We were just telling them the situation and it was her adrenaline going.
The Miami-Dade police tweeted a statement following the situation, where Police Department Director Juan Perez called the actions ‘deeply troubling and in no way reflective of our core values of integrity, respect, service and fairness’.
Statement from Director @JPerezMDPD pic.twitter.com/kbg290TLIA
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) March 14, 2019
He added:
I will hold those that violated any of our policies and/or procedures accountable for their actions or lack thereof.
Giraldo has been relieved of duty and the incident is being investigated.
Reacting to the news of the officer’s suspension, Dyma said it was not good enough, arguing:
He needs to be outright fired. Everything about that was wrong.
Dyma also described how the officer hurt her with his violent headlock, saying:
I thought he crushed my throat. I couldn’t talk for three days. Even now it hurts a little bit to talk.
The actions of the officer in the video are truly shocking.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.