Video posted this weekend of a Colorado police officer body-slamming a 22-year-old woman shows a “standard arrest technique,” a police spokeswoman said.
One moment, a Fort Collins police officer grabs the arms of the 22-year-old sorority girl identified by police as Michaella Surat. But the next moment, as she appears to pull away, the officer uses the weight of his body to slam her to the sidewalk where she lands headfirst with an audible smack.
A nine-second video (below) that went viral over the weekend shows the police officer tossing a 22-year-old woman to the ground like a rag doll.
Seems excessive… pic.twitter.com/vnHAnIUjeE
— Trevor Hartman (@Trevor_Hartman) April 8, 2017
According to The Coloradoan, police say the arrest technique was “relatively standard,” and that the woman had already assaulted the officer.
The report indicates that officers were dispatched Thursday to reports of a “separated disturbance” between two men near Bondi Beach Bar in Old Town Fort Collins. As officers were getting information from employees about the reported fight, the girlfriend of one of the suspects “shoulder-checked the bouncer and an officer and then pulled her boyfriend from the area,” said Kate Kimble, a Fort Collins police spokesperson.
“I understand and appreciate why this event has sparked so much interest,” Police Chief John Hutto said in a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page. “The incident was partially captured on cellphone video and was also documented on the body cameras worn by the officers on the scene.”
“Additionally, rarely in use-of-force situations is there agreement from all the parties involved as to the appropriateness, efficacy, or necessity of its use,” the statement adds. “These questions are only answered through the analysis of all the evidence after the fact.”
