This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/nyregion/jazmine-headley-baby-video-nypd.html
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Charges Dropped Against Brooklyn Mother Who Had Baby Ripped from Her Arms by Police | Charges Dropped Against Brooklyn Mother Who Had Baby Ripped from Her Arms by Police |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] | [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] |
| The Brooklyn district attorney on Tuesday dropped charges against a mother whose son was torn from her arms as she was arrested in a Brooklyn government office last week, after an online video of the incident provoked widespread outrage. | The Brooklyn district attorney on Tuesday dropped charges against a mother whose son was torn from her arms as she was arrested in a Brooklyn government office last week, after an online video of the incident provoked widespread outrage. |
| The woman, Jazmine Headley, 23, was released from Rikers Island, where she has been held for five days, at 9 p.m. and was reunited with her baby boy a half-hour later, family members said. She still faces charges in a credit card fraud case from 2016 in Mercer County, N.J., where she must return to court on Wednesday. | |
| Earlier in the day, Justice Craig S. Walker ordered Ms. Headley released during a hearing in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. The judge said that the video of Ms. Headley’s arrest was a “horrific scene that was broadcast all over the United States.” He said that both Ms. Headley’s experience during her arrest and “the amount of time she has served” factored into his decision. | |
| On Friday, Ms. Headley was sitting with her 1-year-old son, Damone, on the floor of an office in the Human Resources Administration building in Boerum Hill, where she had gone to try to get her child-care benefits reinstated. She had brought her son along because his day care center had informed her the city was no longer paying his fee, her lawyer and a family member said. | On Friday, Ms. Headley was sitting with her 1-year-old son, Damone, on the floor of an office in the Human Resources Administration building in Boerum Hill, where she had gone to try to get her child-care benefits reinstated. She had brought her son along because his day care center had informed her the city was no longer paying his fee, her lawyer and a family member said. |
| After sitting for some time on the floor, she got into an argument with a security guard who asked her to move. After that, somebody called the police. | After sitting for some time on the floor, she got into an argument with a security guard who asked her to move. After that, somebody called the police. |
| A video posted to Facebook on Friday showed Ms. Headley shouting, “They’re hurting my son! They’re hurting my son!” as officers approached and tried to separate Ms. Headley from her son so they could arrest her. | A video posted to Facebook on Friday showed Ms. Headley shouting, “They’re hurting my son! They’re hurting my son!” as officers approached and tried to separate Ms. Headley from her son so they could arrest her. |
| The officers pried the boy from Ms. Headley’s grip, and one officer waved a stun gun at an outraged crowd, some of whom were filming the arrest on their phones. | The officers pried the boy from Ms. Headley’s grip, and one officer waved a stun gun at an outraged crowd, some of whom were filming the arrest on their phones. |
| Ms. Headley was charged with resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child, obstructing governmental administration and trespassing. All those charges were dismissed. | Ms. Headley was charged with resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child, obstructing governmental administration and trespassing. All those charges were dismissed. |
| The Brooklyn district attorney, Eric Gonzalez, said in a statement that he was “horrified by the violence depicted in the video and immediately opened an investigation” into the arrest. He said a review of the case showed that it was not handled properly. | The Brooklyn district attorney, Eric Gonzalez, said in a statement that he was “horrified by the violence depicted in the video and immediately opened an investigation” into the arrest. He said a review of the case showed that it was not handled properly. |
| “The consequences this young and desperate mother has already suffered as a result of this arrest far outweigh any conduct that may have led to it,” he said. “She and her baby have been traumatized, she was jailed on an unrelated warrant and may face additional collateral consequences.” | “The consequences this young and desperate mother has already suffered as a result of this arrest far outweigh any conduct that may have led to it,” he said. “She and her baby have been traumatized, she was jailed on an unrelated warrant and may face additional collateral consequences.” |
| In court on Tuesday, Jeremy Shockett, deputy chief of the trial division, said his office did not object to Ms. Headley’s release. But he said she had missed two or three court appearances in the New Jersey case, and Mercer County officials wanted her detained until they could pick her up on Thursday. | In court on Tuesday, Jeremy Shockett, deputy chief of the trial division, said his office did not object to Ms. Headley’s release. But he said she had missed two or three court appearances in the New Jersey case, and Mercer County officials wanted her detained until they could pick her up on Thursday. |
| Still, he said, his office had been inundated with calls from community leaders who assured him that Ms. Headley would appear in court in New Jersey on Wednesday to answer charges there. | Still, he said, his office had been inundated with calls from community leaders who assured him that Ms. Headley would appear in court in New Jersey on Wednesday to answer charges there. |
| Ms. Headley was arrested in July 2016 after an investigation involving counterfeit credit cards, the Mercer County prosecutor’s office said. She was charged with two counts of credit card theft and one count of trafficking in personal identifying information, the prosecutor’s office said. A judge in Mercer County Superior Court issued a warrant for her arrest after she did not show up in court. | Ms. Headley was arrested in July 2016 after an investigation involving counterfeit credit cards, the Mercer County prosecutor’s office said. She was charged with two counts of credit card theft and one count of trafficking in personal identifying information, the prosecutor’s office said. A judge in Mercer County Superior Court issued a warrant for her arrest after she did not show up in court. |
| Ms. Headley’s history of missing court dates might cause problems for her in New Jersey. The state no longer has cash bail and judges make the decisions on releasing defendants based on whether they are likely to return for future court appearances. | Ms. Headley’s history of missing court dates might cause problems for her in New Jersey. The state no longer has cash bail and judges make the decisions on releasing defendants based on whether they are likely to return for future court appearances. |
| After the hearing on Tuesday, Lisa Schreibersdorf, the executive director of Brooklyn Defender Services, said that the organization was asking the Mercer County prosecutor’s office to consider dismissing the charges against Ms. Headley. | After the hearing on Tuesday, Lisa Schreibersdorf, the executive director of Brooklyn Defender Services, said that the organization was asking the Mercer County prosecutor’s office to consider dismissing the charges against Ms. Headley. |
| “She’s been through enough, in our opinion,” Ms. Schreibersdorf said. | “She’s been through enough, in our opinion,” Ms. Schreibersdorf said. |
| She also said that she expected Ms. Headley would appear in court on Wednesday, especially given the amount of attention her case has garnered. | She also said that she expected Ms. Headley would appear in court on Wednesday, especially given the amount of attention her case has garnered. |
| “I think with all of that, the judge was pretty clear that she would appear, and she will,” Ms. Schreibersdorf said. | “I think with all of that, the judge was pretty clear that she would appear, and she will,” Ms. Schreibersdorf said. |
| The video of Ms. Headley’s arrest drew fierce criticism on social media. Several elected officials called for an investigation, including the Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, and the public advocate, Letitia James. | The video of Ms. Headley’s arrest drew fierce criticism on social media. Several elected officials called for an investigation, including the Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, and the public advocate, Letitia James. |
| Mr. Johnson held a rally on the City Hall steps on Tuesday to protest Ms. Headley’s treatment and call for her immediate release. “Every day that she sits on Rikers Island we are compounding this tragedy,” he said. He added that he was furious over what he saw in the video and that “anyone who saw it has an obligation to speak out and make our system better.” | Mr. Johnson held a rally on the City Hall steps on Tuesday to protest Ms. Headley’s treatment and call for her immediate release. “Every day that she sits on Rikers Island we are compounding this tragedy,” he said. He added that he was furious over what he saw in the video and that “anyone who saw it has an obligation to speak out and make our system better.” |
| Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to speak publicly about the incident and ignored reporters’ questions at a police oversight event on Monday. Later in the day, he said on Twitter that the video was disturbing and he had “a lot of questions” about how the arrest was handled. | Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to speak publicly about the incident and ignored reporters’ questions at a police oversight event on Monday. Later in the day, he said on Twitter that the video was disturbing and he had “a lot of questions” about how the arrest was handled. |
| On Tuesday the mayor posted another tweet praising the district attorney for dropping the charges against Ms. Headley. “She should be reunited with her child as soon as possible,” he said in the message. | On Tuesday the mayor posted another tweet praising the district attorney for dropping the charges against Ms. Headley. “She should be reunited with her child as soon as possible,” he said in the message. |
| In court on Tuesday, Ms. Schreibersdorf said Ms. Headley was “very distraught,” but remained unaware of the firestorm her arrest in Brooklyn had generated on social media. | In court on Tuesday, Ms. Schreibersdorf said Ms. Headley was “very distraught,” but remained unaware of the firestorm her arrest in Brooklyn had generated on social media. |
| “The entire country is talking about her, and she hasn’t been able to engage in any of that,” Ms. Schreibersdorf said. |