Amid the 'Black Lives Matter' protests going on in the United States after the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed African-American man who cried, "I can't breathe," as a white police officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck, eventually leading to his death, another video is now doing the rounds on the internet.
In the video, a police officer is seen choking a woman. The people around are screaming, "Don't choke her up, she's not even moving." However, the officer doesn't pay any heed to the requests made by the people and handcuffs her.
Watch Video:
Later, it became clear that the incident occurred on December 23, 2018, outside Factoria Mall in Bellevue, Washington.
Responding to the video, Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett said that the video was disturbing. However, he added, "When taken in its complete context the officer’s actions were determined reasonable for the resistance he was faced with. From the officer’s perspective, he believed the driver posed a threat to him and others in the area through her refusal to comply with his lawful repeated orders, continual efforts to remove her hand from her purse, and her attempts put the car in gear. As a result of the totality of the situation and the driver’s resistance, the officer used force to overcome the active resistance.”
According to the police, the driver was stopped for suspicion of failing to transfer her automobile title, a violation of Washington State law. However, the driver refused to obey the officer's commands. "Instead, the driver reached inside her purse, despite the officer’s four separate commands not to reach into her purse. This action caused the officer to fear she was reaching for a weapon," they said.
The driver had also left the car in gear and allegedly moved her hand to the gear-control. Meanwhile, the officer believed she was attempting to flee or assault him with the vehicle. The officer repeatedly asked her to exit the vehicle, and she refused, the police said.
"When the officer removed the driver from her vehicle, she continuously refused to comply with the offer’s command to put her arms behind her back. As the officer attempted to take her into custody she pulled away from the officer and refused to be handcuffed. In order to prevent injury to the driver and himself, the officer took the driver to the ground, and based on the continued resistance, applied a vascular neck restraint technique," the police said.
"The driver was arrested on charges of Refusing to Comply with Police, Obstructing a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Motor Vehicle Transfer of Ownership Violations," they added.
Meanwhile, Mylett on Friday announced the Bellevue Police Department was prohibiting the use of neck restraints by its officers in circumstances where deadly force would not be justified. “As a department, Bellevue Police are constantly reviewing our policies and procedures to better serve our diverse community. We recognize that neck restraint techniques, while effective, are highly controversial and divisive. Until we can have additional conversations with the Bellevue community, I have decided to stop their use until further notice, except when the officer’s life is in danger.”
