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| Miami Police Officer Relieved of Duty After Punching Woman in Face | |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| A police officer in Miami is facing discipline after punching a woman in the face in an episode that was recorded on body camera footage, according to Alfredo Ramirez, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department. | A police officer in Miami is facing discipline after punching a woman in the face in an episode that was recorded on body camera footage, according to Alfredo Ramirez, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department. |
| Mr. Ramirez appeared to be referring to a video circulated on Twitter by Billy Corben, a filmmaker, that showed a woman arguing with two officers at what Mr. Corben said was Miami International Airport on Wednesday. The woman stood inches away from one of the officers before he punched her forcefully on her left cheek, sending her hurtling backward. | Mr. Ramirez appeared to be referring to a video circulated on Twitter by Billy Corben, a filmmaker, that showed a woman arguing with two officers at what Mr. Corben said was Miami International Airport on Wednesday. The woman stood inches away from one of the officers before he punched her forcefully on her left cheek, sending her hurtling backward. |
| He then pushed her to the ground as officers converged on her, and one can be seen getting out his handcuffs. | He then pushed her to the ground as officers converged on her, and one can be seen getting out his handcuffs. |
| “She head-butted me,” one officer can be heard saying, though the video does not show a head-butt. | “She head-butted me,” one officer can be heard saying, though the video does not show a head-butt. |
| The same video was obtained by The Miami Herald. | The same video was obtained by The Miami Herald. |
| Mr. Ramirez said in a statement that he was “shocked and angered” and had ordered that the “involved officers be relieved of duty.” As of Thursday morning only one officer had been prohibited from working or having any contact with the public, however, according Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department. Whether he would eventually be permitted to return to work and whether other officers would also be suspended depends on the outcome of the investigation, which began Wednesday night, he said. | |
| “Actions such as these undermine the hard work that we have invested in our community and causes my heart to break for our community and for the vast majority of our officers who dedicate their lives to serving our County,” Mr. Ramirez wrote on Twitter. He added that he wanted to “assure our community that any officer” acting in this way “will be held to account.” | |
| He said he had asked the Miami-Dade state attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, to “immediately become involved in the investigation.” | He said he had asked the Miami-Dade state attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, to “immediately become involved in the investigation.” |
| The mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos A. Gimenez, said on Twitter that the conduct was “appalling” and not what officers were trained to do. | The mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos A. Gimenez, said on Twitter that the conduct was “appalling” and not what officers were trained to do. |
| “It’s excessive use of force and unnecessary,” he said. | “It’s excessive use of force and unnecessary,” he said. |
| Heather Murphy contributed reporting. |