A video of a woman identified as Angel Guice being arrested aggressively by a masked local police officer have gone viral on the internet.
In a video shared on Instagram by Angel Giuce‘s sister, identified on as foxii_roxcii , she alleged that Angel Guice was arrested for resisting arrest and refusing to sign a citation by the local police officer.
According to foxii_roxcii, Angel Guice and a friend were hanging out at a park when the masked officer later identified as Officer Brooks pulled up, asked for Id’s and proceeded to give each of them a citation to sign.
However, Angel enquired from the police what exactly she was signing for and asked the police for his name and badge number.
The question infuriated the police officer who started using excessive force on the woman and he could be heard saying in the video the woman was under arrest.
Watch video of the incident below
Below are details of Angel Guice‘s sister report on Instagram accompanied with video of the incident.
Please watch!
I can’t believe this happened to my sister!!! To give context my sister has never been in any type of unlawful situation and simply out of fear and lack of information she had questions about signing her citation.
Last night @angelguice and her friend were hanging out at a park unknowingly after hours. Officer Brooks pulled up, asked for Id’s and proceeded to give each of them a citation to sign. Angel simply wanted to know exactly what she was signing and asked for the officer name and badge number. At some point he became irritated by her questions. He then abused his power by using excessive force. He threw her to the ground and pulled out his taser. Where’s the respect as a citizen? Are we not aloud to ask questions about our rights without ego taking over. Why was a taser pulled out? Why was she frisked by a male officer? Aren’t police here to protect and serve? What kind of training is this? Aggressive officers like this have to be STOPPED!!!! This is Atlanta Police Department. @atlantapolice Please share!
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Update: Atlanta police department responds
Atlanta police department have explained why an officer felt the need to use force while arresting a woman.
Below is a statement from the APD
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is aware of video footage circulating on social media regarding an Atlanta Police Officer arresting a woman for being in a city park after hours.
Upon learning of the incident, members of the APD’s Command Staff immediately began reviewing the incident to determine the facts surrounding the case.
It has become immediately clear there is more to this story than the short social media video shows and the decision has been made to release the Body Worn Camera footage from the arresting officer.
Below is a summary of the incident with information gleaned from the police report and video footage. It is important to look at the footage in its entirety to better understand the entire incident.
Information to consider while reviewing the Body Worn Camera footage from this incident.
1. As part of the Atlanta Police Department’s efforts to ensure safety in our city parks safety and in response to safety concerns after the August 2, 2022, homicide in Wilson Mill Park and August 7, 2022, homicide at Rosa L. Burney Park, Atlanta Police Officers have been instructed to increase patrols inside city parks.
2. The officer in this incident conducted patrol inside Shady Valley Park at 2700 Shady Valley Drive in Northeast, Atlanta on August 8, 2022, at around 11:50 PM. The park closed at 11:00 PM. During his patrol, the officer encountered two people inside the park and attempted to issue both a citation for the violation.
3. For most traffic law violations and city ordinance violations, officers are authorized to issue a copy of charges and release the individual once they have signed the ticket. Signing the ticket is not an admission of guilt but is an acknowledgment of receipt of the citation and of the person’s obligation to appear in court or pay a fine. Refusing to sign a citation is considered reasonable cause to believe the individual will not appear in court or pay the fine and the officer may then physically arrest the individual so they can be brought before the court to post bond.
4. While issuing the citations, the officer explained to the male that he would be taken to jail if he refused to sign the citation and the male chose to sign the citation. The female was given the same information and refused to sign the citation, citing the fact she wanted the officer’s badge number. It is important to note the officer had provided his name and badge number to the female twice, the second time being only moments before she asked again for his badge number.
5. The officer explained what would happen if either party refused to sign the ticket and moved to place the female in handcuffs after she refused. The officer then attempted to place the female’s hands behind her back and she began actively resisting his efforts. This resulted in a physical altercation as the officer attempted to place her into custody.
6. No one wants to see a fight between an officer and a citizen, but a more in-depth review of the incident, using the body-worn camera footage, shows the officer repeatedly asked the female to comply by placing her hands behind her back and the footage shows she refuses each time. The officer requested assistance and another officer arrived on the scene and the female was then placed into handcuffs.
To address several issues the female brought up:
a. An officer is not required to read someone their Miranda rights prior to arresting them.
b. The officer was wearing a mask and rubber gloves in an effort to keep himself safe from communicable viruses or diseases and was authorized to do so.
c. If an officer explains you will be taken to jail for something and you choose to push the officer to that limit, you will end up in jail.
In the end, this incident began as an effort to address issues in our city parks.
The officer clearly intended to issue a citation to each party and allow them to leave the park.
Several unnecessary decisions, that were entirely out of our control, resulted in a physical altercation with an officer and the physical arrest of this individual.