Police in Georgia have come under fire after cell phone footage of two male officers pining and Tazing a young woman before turning on bystanders who tried to intervene went viral over the weekend.
In response, the Tybee Island Police Department released body cam footage of the arrest on Tuesday hoping to set the record straight and discredit claims of police brutality.
The altercation began with Olivia Jane Simons, 21, another girl, and a doorman of one of the island’s bars, who were embroiled in a dispute regarding the girl’s identification card.
Spotting the argument, Sergeant T. Leguin approached the two girls and the doorman on Butler Avenue, as Simons can be seen desperately attempting to grab the ID card back from the bar employee’s hands.
The altercation began with Olivia Jane Simons, 21, another girl, and a doorman of one of the island’s bars who were embroiled in a dispute regarding the girl’s identification card
The employee hands the card to Leguin, but before he could inspect it, Simons snatches it from his grasp and begins sprinting away. But as they’re running away the two girls appear to barge into one another, knocking Simons to the floor and prompting Leguin to pounce on top of her, placing a hand into the top of her back pushing down against the sidewalk
The second girl then begins to walk away while another officer, Bryant Sims, is instructed to go and stop her.
Police were later informed that the unnamed girl had been trying to get into the bar with a 30-year-old’s ID but appeared to be significantly younger.
The employee hands the card to Leguin, but before he could inspect it, Simons snatches it from his grasp and begins sprinting away.
According to Sims’ report, Simons yelled ‘run Jessica!’ before the pair took off.
But as they’re running away the two girls appear to barge into one another, knocking Simons to the floor and prompting Leguin to pounce on top of her, placing a hand into the top of her back pushing down against the sidewalk.
A struggle ensues between the pair and Leguin’s body camera is knocked off of his vest. Meanwhile ‘Jessica’ ran away from the scene.
‘Get off me,’ Simons can be heard screaming while Leguin warns her to place her hands behind her back.
‘Ma’am,’ responds Leguin. ‘You’re going to be Tazed. Lay down on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.’
As the struggle continues a bystander, later identified to be Richard Harper Stutts, approach Leguin and grabbed him by the vest, saying ‘Man, you need to get the f*** off of her…you need to chill out man.’
As the struggle continues a bystander, later identified to be Richard Harper Stutts, approach Leguin and grabbed him by the vest, saying ‘Man, you need to get the f*** off of her…you need to chill out man.’
Eventually, Leguin shouts for the man to ‘Get away from me!’, but he remains nearby watching the struggle from just feet away
Leguin attempts to ignore Stutts’ protest as he continues to tell the office Simons ‘hasn’t done anything wrong’.
Eventually, Leguin shouts for the man to ‘Get away from me!’, but he remains nearby watching the struggle from just feet away.
Meanwhile, Leguin continues to struggle with Simons on the floor. He issues her several more warning to comply with his demands of surrender, but the 21-year-old appears to continue resisting.
In his report, the Sergeant claimed Simons ‘attempted to claw [his] face’, but she only made slight contact with the officer.
‘I’m Tazing on three, okay? Put your hands behind your back,’ Leguin can be heard telling her afterwards.
As he administers the painful shock to Simons’ back, she can be heard crying out in pain as objections from bystanders are hurtled towards the officer.
Leguin also struck himself in the leg with one of the prongs. He then deactivates the weapon and fires a second time with both prongs striking Simons.
Sims then arrives back on the scene at the request of Leguin’s call for back-up. According to his account of events, Sim’s asked Stutts ‘do you want to go to jail?’ as a result of his repeated attempts to intervene.
He then shoves Stutts, telling him loudly to ‘get the f*** back’.
Sims then arrives back on the scene at the request of Leguin’s call for back-up. According to his account of events, Sim’s asked Stutts ‘do you want to go to jail?’ as a result of his repeated attempts to intervene. Sims said as Stutts continued to yell expletives at the officers he ‘decided he needed to be arrested for disorderly conduct’
During the arrest, Sims accuses Stutts of punching him multiple times in the face. Simms said he began punching back in self-defense
Sims said as Stutts continued to yell expletives at the officers he ‘decided he needed to be arrested for disorderly conduct’.
During the arrest, Sims accuses Stutts of punching him multiple times in the face. Simms said he began punching back in self-defense.
A third woman, Alecia Nicholle Adams, was also arrested during the same hectic chain of events.
Continuously throughout she can be heard shouting at the officers ‘she’s a girl and he’s a grown man – and you Tazed her’.
She also accuses the two officers of brutality, calling them ‘bullies’ in the vein of a guttural cry.
After her partner’s attempts to calm her down fail, arriving officers place her in handcuffs. She is accused of attempting to bite the arresting officer twice as they place her into a patrol car.
A stun gun was also used on her three times, failing each time.
A third woman, Alecia Nicholle Adams, was also arrested during the same hectic chain of events. After her partner’s attempts to calm her down fail, arriving officers place her in handcuffs. She is accused of attempting to bite the arresting officer twice as they place her into a patrol car
Despite an outcry on social media calling for Leguin and Sims to be reprimanded, police officials say both officers’ use of force was ‘acceptable under the circumstances’.
All three suspects face a felony and several misdemeanors. Simons, Stutts and Adams were charged with public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and both misdemeanor and felony counts of obstruction, Chatham County jail records show.
Stutts was also charged with interference with government property, simple battery and attempting to disarm a police officer.
The department say an investigation is ongoing, and the city’s Facebook post said additional arrests are likely.
‘Know that the Tybee Island Police Department takes citizen complaints very seriously and will continue to do so as we move forward into the future,’ the post said.