A police officer was fired from the Gwinnett County Police Department after a TikTok video showed him using a Taser on an unarmed Black woman.
The incident happened here in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Former officer Michael Oxford, who is white, responded to a “property damage” call on Aug. 18. According to the caller, a bottle had been thrown at a car.
When Oxford arrived, he spotted a woman who fit the description of the person who picked up the bottle. Oxford attempted to speak to the woman but he couldn’t because Kyndesia Smith and others were yelling at him.
When he told Smith she was under arrest for obstructing an officer, she said, “I’m not going anywhere.” She added: “It doesn’t matter. You’re on our property. We did not call you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Oxford attempted to drag Smith off the porch, as several bystanders captured the chaotic scene on their cellphones.
After telling her she was under arrest, Oxford fired his Taser at her and she fell into some bushes in front of the porch.
Smith can be heard saying, “Call the police, mama,” as the officer told her to turn over so he could cuff her.
“Don’t touch me,” Smith said, as she waved her arms to prevent the officer from cuffing her. Bystanders are heard yelling at him to stop.
“You’re on her neck,” someone says off camera. “Do you not understand what you’re doing?”
Later in the video, Smith is sitting upright and struggling with Oxford who tells her “Give me your hands.”
Toward the end of the video, another white officer arrived to help cuff Smith. She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and released early Wednesday morning.
Even though Oxford was fired, the police department said there was probable cause to arrest Smith for obstruction of a law enforcement officer and that his use of force was within the department’s policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCiYKwPqrAQ
