CHARLOTTE, NC (WSOC) — Right now, there's outrage in Charlotte over a controversial arrest caught on camera. In the video, a police officer can be seen punching a black woman in the face.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings says these punches thrown in this video are compliance blows.
Officers are trained in the technique when trying to make an arrest. Jennings says he understands how it looks to the public.
“I get it. I understand the outrage. I understand the emotions that come when you look at a video that involves an officer who is punching a female who [was] trying to make the arrest and subdue, said Chief Jennings.
But what the video doesn’t show is how Christina Pierre got bruises on her face. Chief Jennings says the officer's body camera was knocked off during the struggle, so we could not get a clear picture.
“I'm not going to refute that and say, 'no, the officer did not punch her. I don't know.' But what I can tell you is that I did see the bruises on the side of her face. It is consistent with either a punch or an abrasion," said Chief Jennings.
Lauren Newton is representing Pierre and is speaking on behalf of a witness. Newton says that witness' story aligns with Pierre's.
“According to the witness, they were circling a bench and the police officer hauled back like he was going to hit a man [and] struck her in the face. She went down like a rag doll, and he went down on top of her," said Newton.
Newton said Pierre sought medical treatment and her face is not fractured, but her sense of security is.
“My client is absolutely terrified. Still, her voice is shaking. And she most importantly, doesn't want this to happen to anyone else. But what the eyewitness said is that... this feels so similar to George Floyd," said Newton.
Chief Jennings said while the video is hard to watch, there is something to learn from this.
"If I look at this entire thing, are there things we can do better? Absolutely. Are there things that I wish would've never happened? Certainly. Are there things that I think we can take from this and become better as an agency? We are committed to that," said Chief Jennings.
Jennings said the confrontation started when officers spotted Pierre and a man smoking marijuana near a bus stop.
The department has requested the release of the officers' body camera footage.
