Arizona State Cheerleader Shoved, Pinned During Arrest as Attorney Claims Excessive Force

Adriana Stone 0 2 min read

Arizona State Cheerleader Shoved, Pinned During Arrest as Attorney Claims Excessive Force

A newly released police video shows the tense moment an Arizona State University cheerleader was taken to the ground during an arrest in Tempe, Arizona.

According to Fox News, the video obtained from the Tempe Police Department begins with Arizona State cheerleader Eryn Bonner shouting at officers as they attempted to detain a male friend. The incident occurred on July 19.

“Let him go, let him go,” Bonner yells in the footage. One officer then shoves her to the ground. Bonner quickly gets back up and walks toward the officer. The two struggle briefly before the officer takes her to the ground again.

Bonner resists the arrest as the officer appears to throw a punch. Another officer arrives to help restrain her, and she is pinned against a police bicycle. The video shows officers arresting two men who were with Bonner during the confrontation.

Fox News also reported that surveillance footage from a nearby business captured what happened before the police encounter. Bonner and two male friends were walking past a third man who had been standing on the sidewalk. One of Bonner’s friends got into an argument with the man, while the other male friend appeared to try to stop a potential fight.

Three police officers on bicycles witnessed the encounter from across an intersection. They moved in moments later. Police say Bonner allegedly struck an officer while interfering with the arrests.

Bonner now faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and hindering or interfering with police. Prosecutors in Maricopa County declined to pursue felony charges connected to the incident.

Bonner has alleged that the encounter left her covered in bruises. Her attorney, Benjamin Taylor, accused police of “excessive force” and “groping.”

“The Maricopa County prosecutor declined charges,” Taylor said. “This is a political prosecution from the City of Tempe to back door charges to cover up for the excessive force and groping that their Tempe officer did that is clearly on the video.”

Bonner’s family also released a statement to ABC 15 Arizona expressing anger and heartbreak over what happened:

There are no words to fully describe the heartbreak of watching our daughter being hurt by someone entrusted to protect and serve our community. The hardest thing is seeing the pain and sadness in her eyes that we cannot take away. Expecting public servants to live up to the highest standards of their profession is not an act of animosity toward those who serve with honor. Rather, it is essential to preserving public trust and upholding the integrity and legitimacy of our institutions. We respectfully ask for your prayers and support as our daughter and our family continue to heal.

The Tempe Police Department told The New York Post that an internal investigation into the incident is underway.

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