This video has gone viral all over the internet.  There are definitely 2 sides to this story. The girls appear out of control.

The minute you put your hands on a police officer it is considered an assault. 

Did the officer over-react?  Different people will have different opinions.  I would have gone in to ‘don’t taze me bro’ mode real fast.

28 Thoughts to “Cop Punches Girl in Seattle”

  1. hello

    I think that cop did a great job of showing restraint with the first girl. I don’t blame him a bit for the punch, that situation could have gotten out of control very quickly with a crowd building and the other woman jumping in, it could have easily turned into a bad situation for the cop with apparently no back-up in sight.

    On a side note, I’m glad someone was there to video tape the incident to show what really happened. Kind of reminds me of when Democrat Reps go around assaulting students on the street for asking if they ‘support the Obama agenda’. What an inflammatory question to ask! I can’t believe the gull of those students. How dare they ask a sitting ‘public servant’ if he supports the presidents agenda!

  2. Hello, you simply could not resist the chance to show partisanship over something that really should not be political. You sure take some quantum leaps if the 2 situations remind you of each other.

    That kid was not blameless either. He should have introduced himself to the congressman, which is what the congressman was trying to establish. Good manners might have prevented an unfortunante incident. The congressman has apologized and we all know that just isn’t good enough.

    By the way, it is considered very rude to stick a mic in someone’s face like that. Heard the expression ‘getting in someone’s face?’ There ya go. That doesn’t excuse Congressman Ethridge for handling an rude ass like an ass.

  3. hello

    Oh yes Moon, I totally agree… that student was TOTALLY to blame for getting assaulted, he obviously deserved what he got, right. How dare he not introduce himself and ask a question of an elected official.

    However, since when was it deemed a ‘right’ to know who someone on the street was? Maybe he didn’t say because he didn’t want to get Joe-the-plummer’ed. Remember that, Dems immediately started ILLEGALLY looking into anything and everything about the guy and then smeared him in the media because he asked Obama a question? I can understand why he didn’t say his name, there is no telling what would have happened to him with today’s regime.

    Ask a question of a Democrat… show me your papers! No, show me your papers!!! IF you don’t comply you get assaulted and no charges are filed. Why, because the person doing the assaulting was on the ‘right’ side of the political spectrum of course.

  4. hello

    Even those at the left leaning Salon.com think that Ethridge should be arrested for assault: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/14/law/

    But eh, he apologized right… that makes it all better. So I can go outside of my house right now and assult some kids just as long as I put a quasi-apology out there? I see, Ill remember that the next time some kid does something ‘rude’ to me (by the way I live off of rt. 1 in Woodbridge).

  5. Rick Bentley

    The punch isn’t “right”, it is not the correct tactical move, but I don’t think we have the right to nitpick at the officer in this chaotic situation.

  6. PWC Taxpayer

    I agree with you Hello. We will get our jerk soon enough and then ask for bi-partisan and precedential levels of forgiveness.

    Won’t happen but we can point out the hypocracy.

  7. Back to the topic of the video…..

    My info is that he was stopping or arresting them for jaywalking. He did overreact. Why he didn’t call for back up since he had multiple arrestees, who knows? He does need to keep control of the situation and he failed. That punch could have started a riot. He could barely control one teenage girl that was resisting, but not fighting. The other, that he hit, was only removing his hands from her friend. His statement that he hit her because she tried to grab him is demonstrably false as he was not close to being “held” when he punched her.

    That said, tazing a resisting arrestee is perfectly ok. And would have quickly ended the conflict, thereby preventing the friend from trying to free her friend.

    Seattle PD does have a poor reputation for overreaction.

    As to the Ethridge incident, the proper response would have been “no comment” as they were obviously reporters of some kind. Besides, why is the question, do you support President Obama’s agenda, something to get suspicious or upset about. He should be charged with assault and battery. After 6 terms in office, one would think he had experience dealing with the press. And yes, they were the press. One does not have to be a “professional journalist” to be part of the press.

  8. Hello, stop it now. You know I never said any such thing. I said the kid was not blameless and I said why. No one gave Ethridge a pass.

  9. Cargo, I am inclined to agree with you about the cop. While I understand his frustration and rage, he mishandled the situation. And I do believe firmly that he was assaulted. His lack of judgement could have led to other people being injured.

    Isn’t there an Ethridge segment under Jon Stewart?

  10. Captain Idiot-Face

    Beautiful Right Cross!

  11. The face punch was not appropriate, but at least he gained self control afterward, though granted he probally noticed he was on camera.

    He’s got stones trying to persue an arrest without backup on hand…if this was L.A. he would not even bother, it’d be too dangerious.

    I sense a reassignment in his future.

  12. marinm

    I think the use of force was appropriate as he didn’t escalate up to a baton, chemical agent, taser or firearm.

    I’m actually disturbed that no citizens came to the aid of an out numbered police officer. Too many people rely on the police…sometimes they need help, too.

  13. Wolverine

    1. Very sad. You NEVER touch a police officer. You NEVER even threaten to touch a police officer. That is the fastest way I know to turn a minor charge into a major one. Stupid girls.

    2. I am shocked to see no backup for that police officer. I have been watching and assessing (for several years now the response tactics of deputies in Loudoun. In most cases, when the first deputy arrives on scene, you can start counting the minutes or even seconds before a second patrol car arrives. In one case of potential violent confrontation in which I myself made the call for a police presence, the first deputy to arrive was female. She was tough and handled the thing perfectly from the get go. But, as I watched, a second patrol car, and then even a third slipped silently up the street, with at least three other male deputies standing by if needed. They weren’t needed, but I was certainly impressed by their methodology.

    3. Can’t even guess how that punch will play out in the aftermath. In many places the police officer would likely be excused because one girl was resisting arrest and the other girl DID put her hands on a police officer. But, in my estimation, Seattle is a very unpredictable place politically. I would never want to work as a cop in Seattle.

  14. Elena

    Wolverine :1. Very sad. You NEVER touch a police officer. You NEVER even threaten to touch a police officer. That is the fastest way I know to turn a minor charge into a major one. Stupid girls.
    2. I am shocked to see no backup for that police officer. I have been watching and assessing (for several years now the response tactics of deputies in Loudoun. In most cases, when the first deputy arrives on scene, you can start counting the minutes or even seconds before a second patrol car arrives. In one case of potential violent confrontation in which I myself made the call for a police presence, the first deputy to arrive was female. She was tough and handled the thing perfectly from the get go. But, as I watched, a second patrol car, and then even a third slipped silently up the street, with at least three other male deputies standing by if needed. They weren’t needed, but I was certainly impressed by their methodology.
    3. Can’t even guess how that punch will play out in the aftermath. In many places the police officer would likely be excused because one girl was resisting arrest and the other girl DID put her hands on a police officer. But, in my estimation, Seattle is a very unpredictable place politically. I would never want to work as a cop in Seattle.

    I agree with you and Cargo on this one.

  15. Lucky Duck

    Sorry, no officer signed up to be a shoving/punching bag. You start it, they end it. It is not the legal standard to MEET the force, the legal standard is to use the force necessary to OVERCOME the force use against the officer. Police officers will always be one step above what is given to them in order to overcome the resistance.
    As for waiting for backup, it is not unusual to begin the scene while backup is in route.

    You simply do not touch an officer, ever. If you do, you deserve the consequences.

  16. And with that in mind, why didn’t he taser her?

    The girls assaulted him with that first touch. However, PWC officers would have handled the situation far better.

  17. tarrda

    I’m suprised that no citizen stepped forward to assist the officer. Part of the job of the officer is to protect and serve the people, and also I believe a part of being a US citizen is to support law enforcement officers when it appears they need it, at least someone should have stepped forward and let the officer know they were there to help as he directed, he was being ganged up on and all the people wanted to do was take pictures. I wonder if the girls had prevailed and knocked the officer down if any video’s, or pictures would have surfaced???

  18. Lucky Duck

    There is what’s called a “use of force escalation”…you start with the lowest necessary force, then you move up. Did the officer have a taser? I did not notice. In some departments (like Prince William) not every officer has a taser. Even if he did, he was so close to her he may have thought it not the best idea to take it out and discharge it.

    In Prince William County, “hands on” is discouraged, because the officer, in a lot of cases, is injured as much as the suspect. So in Prince William’s case, you may have witnessed a baton strike in lieu of a punch. Again, an officer is not going to shove the person back, they have already demonstrated they are resisting, so the force used is the next level above what the suspect has utilized.

  19. marinm

    I concur with LD. A tazer based on what I saw would’ve been inappropriate both from a tactics standpoint and escalation of force. It was clear from the video that while she was resisting she wasn’t actively being hostile towards the officer. Im honestly surprised that he didn’t take her to the ground. The only reason I can think of for not doing so was that he was afraid that on the ground someone might attack his rear OR that it would’ve caused her too much injury.

    If I was on the citizens review board I’d recommend that the arrest go forward and that the officer be retrained but no negative action be taken against the officer.

    Realize, that is a LOT coming from me where I view anything done by the police with skepticism.

    I’m still in awe that no one came to his aid. Just another pair of hands on her would’ve de-escalated the situation quickly.

    I’m also still in favor of a citizens police review board. 🙂

  20. Wolverine

    Let me add a positive note here, if there can ever be such a thing in this type of situation. I viewed this video two or three more times just to watch the reactions of the bystanders. Although it looked to me like there were some conflicting emotions, the rest of those kids kept their brains in gear and their wits about them and made no move to get directly involved beyond filming the episode and making a comment or two. That guy who tried at first unsuccessfully and then successfully to keep the girl with the pink blouse out of it did a service for everyone involved. Without all that, this could have easily become a very nasty situation.

  21. Lucky Duck

    The video cleary shows that even after the initial confrontation, when the suspect is against the patrol vehicle, when the officer attempts to handcuff her she resists and attempts to get back up and face the officers. He pushed her down onto the car. Shows the suspect is still resisting.

  22. Good for Wolverine for finding something positive. And I agree.

    I would have probably wanted to shoot her which is one reason it is good I was never in law enforcement and a reason I don’t go around armed.

    I hope both girls get jail time.

    Thanks for answering the question about the taser, Lucky Duck. Would a person necessarily know if an officer had a taser gun? Can you see it?

  23. I thought this thread was a good conversation piece. Nowadays we all expect law enforcement to be perfect in light of all sorts of adversity.

  24. Lucky Duck

    Yes, you can see the taser on an officer, it sits on their equipment belt, either on the left or right side, depending on if the officer is left or right handed. Most are a bright yellow in color and quite visible for effect.

  25. PWC Taxpayer

    Did I see agreement here – supporting the officer. Terrific – there is hope.

    You really need to warn a suspect that he/she is about to get tazered if the individual does not comply with directions – its not self defense as when a gun is being pulled, but close. If a gun is being pulled the decison to use it has been made. He was too busy and its clear that he did not feel threatened himself. My reaction is that the officer was, in fact, trying to keep the reaction low (lower) key by not gettin rough and grounding her and putting his knee to her, cuffing and then turning on the other one. This was anything but an overreaction. Well done.

    Marnim, I agree with you about the coming to aid thing, but unfortunately there is real risk with that and its not encouraged. In the confusion, the helper can be viewed as another assailant in the fray. Worse, the helper can be sued by the trouble maker for assult — criminally and civilly. The officer was busy but was was never out of control or in any real danger.

  26. marinm

    PWC,

    I agree with you but feel the laws should be clarified to protect a good samaritan coming to the aid of a first responder. I guess the question would be ‘in the mind of a disinterested third-party was the officer in need of aid and an appropriate level of force used by the citizen to assist in a lawful arrest.

    Laws just seem to get in a man’s way. It just doesn’t pass the sniff test when you can’t help a cop who may be in trouble because your afraid of being sued. Let’s bring back common sense to our laws. 🙂

  27. I will defer to Lucky Duck.

  28. Lucky Duck

    While PWC has a point about potential confusion among later arriving officers regarding who is criminally involved and who is assisting the officer, there have been several occasions in PWC in which citizens have stepped forward to assist officers. The most glaring example was a few years ago at Potomac Hospital when a suspect sucker punched an officer, breaking his jaw and, for a moment, stunning him to the ground. The officer attempted to keep his weapon secured while he recovered his bearings but the suspect kept attempting to pry the gun out until a citizen, who observed the whole interaction, knocked the suspect off until the officer could get back up. When asked why, the citizen stated that if the suspect got the officer’s gun, who would be safe?

    There is a risk of getting involved, but fortunately, some people do step forward.

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