In May of this year, news of a woman's arrest went viral after body cam footage taken by an officer appeared to show him using an excessive amount of force against her. The woman in question, Emily Weinman, was approached by police when they suspected she might have been drinking underage. She passed a breathalyser test, and explained that the alcohol belonged to her aunt - but the officers would not leave her alone.
After a brief verbal dispute in which Weinman said, "You’re mad because you thought we were drinking," and refused to give out her full name, officer Thomas Cannon became aggressive with the 20-year-old woman, and asked his partner if he had any handcuffs with him. This obviously irked Weinman, who backed away from Cannon as he approached her.
A scuffle then ensued, and Weinman could be seen pushing Cannon - momentarily obscuring the view on his bodycam - before being held down on the ground.
Cannon then proceeded to punch the woman multiple times.
At first, the case was brought to light because the cops were believed to have committed assault. Now, however, it's transpired that Weinman has been indicted for violent actions against the officers.
At the time of the arrest, Cannon was recorded saying: "She tried kicking at us so I slammed her on the ground. She kicked him, so I hit her a couple times and put her in cuffs."
The cops have also accused her of spitting on them.
Both Cannon and his partner, Robert Jordan, were cleared of inappropriate behaviour after the bodycam footage and other video footage from the incident were reviewed by authorities.
Weiman, meanwhile, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on police officers, resisting arrest, throwing bodily fluids, and obstruction. She previously turned down a plea deal for the assault charge in July, and must now go to trial for the incident.
News of Weinman's indictment has upset many people, especially those who believe that is actually Cannon who should be on trial.
"How can he not face charges?? It’s on video for the world to see. This was brutal and he needs to be held accountable," said one Twitter user.
"He was pressing her head into the ground and was punching her in the head," said another. "Cops are using excessive force far too often. They are supposed to meet force with force. Cops need retrained and demilitarised on this will happen more often."
Others, however, believe that the police were right to act as they did, and that Weinman could have avoided the officer's reaction if she had just done as he had said. It has also been pointed out that Weinman used a racial slur in an earlier interaction with the officers, but it is not clear whether that incited a reaction from the cops.
What ought to be considered here is that Weinman was proven to have not consumed any alcohol, and the matter should have been done with after that point. However, the officers continued to make an issue of it, and eventually punched the 20-year-old when she was already subdued and on the ground.
Weinman is due to face trial soon.
