Her kicks seem to hardly connect. But his punches certainly do.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Florida said it fired and arrested one of its own this week after the officer repeatedly struck a handcuffed woman in a jail, an incident authorities caught on film. Probationary patrol officer Akinyemi Borisade, 26, had been with the sheriff's office for just over a year when the incident occurred this past Wednesday.
"When we see an officer do something like this, we have to respond quickly," Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams told reporters Friday. "We are accountable to the community for how these officers act. They are accountable for their actions."
Soundless video of the incident released by the sheriff shows the woman - 31-year-old Mayra Martinez, according to the Associated Press - with her hands cuffed behind her back slowly walking toward a group of officers. One of them steps forward and grabs her by the shoulders, guiding her in an apparently forceful manner toward a wall. After her back hits the wall, he steps away and she kicks at him twice, appearing to only connect on the second attempt. Then he lunges at her.
The officer takes at least three swings at the woman's torso, as several other uniformed men stand by. One of them walks over as he then pushes Martinez into a corner and appears to say something to her. As they walk away, she leans back against the wall and then slides down to the ground. After a few seconds, she drops her head, slowly lowering it until her forehead appears to rest on the ground, the men around her seemingly unfazed by what happened.
Corrections officers notified supervisors about the incident, launching the internal investigation, Undersheriff Pat Ivey said at a Thursday news conference. Borisade had an unblemished record up to the incident, Ivey said, adding that the officer clearly mishandled the situation.
"He could have turned her around and held her in a transporting position that they are trained in, back over to the location to wait by the door. He could have stood there with her. But there was no need to strike her," Ivey said.
Ivey said the victim did not report the incident but that Borisade's arrest arose from the internal investigation.
Martinez was arrested following a dispute at a strip club where she had begun working on Wednesday, the Florida Times-Union reported, citing an arrest report. The manager told police that Martinez had four shots of 100-proof liquor, quit, was disturbing patrons in the parking lot and refused to leave.
The arresting officers say they instructed her to leave and she refused. When they went to arrest her, she pulled away and started swinging her arms, according to the report. Borisade reportedly struck her in the back until she stopped resisting, although she would later kick on the way to and inside of the patrol car, according to the report.
Dashcam footage recorded by a witness and shared with the Florida Times-Union purportedly shows the arrest. In it, two officers can be seen wrestling with a woman on the ground. One of them, apparently Borisade, repeatedly strikes her while she is on the ground. She can be heard repeatedly screaming "I didn't do anything to you."
At a Friday news conference, Williams, the sheriff, defended the use of force in principle.
"Listen, sometimes you have to get aggressive with people. It's not inappropriate for officers to punch people, at certain times," Williams said. "But obviously there's got to be a lot of factors in place for that to happen."
Officers may use "enough force to overcome the resistance," he said. But, to him, Borisade crossed that line in the dashcam video.
"Clearly I have concerns in watching that video, and that's part of the ongoing investigation," he said. Williams also said his office plans to investigate the other officers present in the jail video, whether they could have seen the attack and, if so, why they didn't intervene.
Because of his probationary status, Borisade may not appeal his firing, although he may ask for a name-clearing hearing, Ivey said on Thursday. If he succeeds, then he may work for another law enforcement agency, Ivey said.
The Washington Post
Sun May 01 2016
Ivey said the victim did not report the incident but that Borisade's arrest arose from the internal investigation.
'No one will win a trade war,' China says after Trump tariff threat
Donald Trump says he would impose the tariffs until China stops the flow of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States.
What has caused Pakistan's deadly clashes between police and supporters of Imran Khan?
Topping the demands of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the release of all its leaders, including Khan, who has been jailed on a series of corruption charges since August 2023.
One woman or girl killed every 10 minutes by intimate partner or family member - UN
The report highlights that "60 per cent of all female homicides" are committed by "people closely related to them".
Sweden urges Chinese ship to return for undersea cable investigation
Two subsea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged in less than 24 hours.
[COLUMNIST] Building more highways won’t solve traffic congestion - reducing demand will
It is clear that adding more lanes and highways doesn't work, because we are still attempting the same approach to solve the issue.
Hyundai to invest RM2.16 bil in Malaysia through strategic partnership with INOKOM
This investment includes efforts to upgrade INOKOM's existing assembly capacity to meet Hyundai's automotive needs.
‘C4Cinta’ sets record as highest-grossing Malaysian Tamil film
'C4Cinta', directed by young filmmaker Karthik Shamalan, has set a new benchmark in Malaysian Tamil cinema.
Man charged with mother's murder, storing body in freezer
The court denied bail and scheduled case mention on Feb 7 for the submission of forensic, autopsy, and chemist reports.
Abolition of examination in schools to reduce pressure on pupils - Fadhlina
The classroom assessment approach offers a much more interesting learning ecosystem, says Fadhlina Sidek.
Google, Meta urge Australia to delay bill on social media ban for children
Google and Meta says the government should wait for the results of an age-verification trial before going ahead.
Judge tosses Trump 2020 election case after prosecutors' request
It represents a big legal victory for Donald Trump, who won the Nov. 5 US election and is set to return to office on Jan. 20.
DHL plane crash in Lithuania leaves authorities searching for answers
Rescue services said the plane hit the ground, split into pieces and slid over 100 metres (110 yards).
National squad to hold friendly matches for 2025 Indoor Hockey World Cup
The warm-up matches will involve matches against better ranked teams in the world, namely Austria (first) and Belgium (third).
G7 seeks unity on ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
The United States, part of the G7, has rejected the ICC decision, with President Joe Biden describing it as outrageous.
Francissca Peter remembers Tan Sri Ahmad Nawab: A tribute to a musical legend
A legend who has influenced our music for decades, was one of the highlights of my career, says Francissca Peter.
TikTok decision coming soon as Jan. 19 divestment deadline looms
Judges are reviewing TikTok's challenge to a law requiring ByteDance to sell its US assets by Jan. 19 or face a ban.
Lebanese sources: Biden, Macron set to announce Israel-Hezbollah truce
In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said, "We're close" but "nothing is done until everything is done".
PM meets chaebol tycoon to attract more FDI to Malaysia
Chaebols are prominent figures from South Korea's family-owned conglomerates.
Govt won't allow non-citizen vehicles to enjoy RON95 subsidy - Economy Ministry
The implementation of the RON95 subsidy in 2025 is expected to provide savings of RM3.6 billion to government expenditure.
Ringgit opens lower as greenback gains ground
Dr Mohd Afzanizam says the market responded positively to news of hedge fund manager Scott Bessent heading the US Treasury Department.