New Castle County releases body camera video of woman's brutal arrest

New Castle County has released police body camera video showing four of its officers arresting a woman who refused multiple police commands following a traffic stop Saturday in a Royal Farms parking lot in Bear.

The arrest, filmed by onlookers, went viral on social media, showing two of the officers hitting the woman in the head repeatedly after she had already been thrown to the ground.

The bystander video prompted county authorities to release police body camera video to provide the public “information regarding a traffic stop that resulted in a use-of-force incident,” police said in their statement. The video was released Thursday, during the July 4 holiday, three days after county authorities announced the video would be released and that Saturday’s incident was under investigation.

New Castle County Police Arrest Caught on Video Under Investigation

A viral video showing four New Castle County police officers forcibly arresting a woman in a parking lot is being investigated. 07/02/24

“The New Castle County Division of Police’s Professional Standards Unit is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether the officer’s actions were consistent with policy,” police said in a statement. “In addition, the division’s Use of Force Review Unit is conducting a use of force analysis, including a detailed video review.”

“Ultimately, the incident was reported to the Delaware Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust. Those investigations and reviews are ongoing.”

More: New Castle County officers’ arrest of woman captured on social media under investigation

The woman’s identity is not being released at this time because Delaware Online/The News Journal does not typically identify those charged except in the most serious cases. She has been charged with two counts of offensive touching of a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. She has also been charged with several traffic violations, including improper window tinting and a revoked registration.

The woman’s lawyer, Emeka Igwe, said there was no reason for his client’s abrupt arrest.

“There is no justification for the assault of the woman by the police officers,” Igwe said. “There is no police training manual in the country that requires officers to punch an unarmed woman repeatedly in the face while she is completely immobilized.”

Unlocking the body camera

Police body cameras are designed to increase transparency, especially when questions arise during officers’ interactions with civilians.

While it is not common in Delaware to release police videos before official investigations are complete, New Castle County police have done so in the past in an effort to provide a broader picture of what happened, especially as videos posted on social media provide some perspective. Previously released videos include:

Not seen or heard on the videos

The video circulating on social media showing the arrest of a 28-year-old Middletown woman on Saturday, June 29, begins after the woman is pulled out of her Toyota Rav4. Shortly after, the woman is seen being taken to the ground by police and an officer and begins punching him in the head.

The police can be heard shouting some orders at the woman, but most of the exchange between the woman and the officers is inaudible because the person filming the arrest is further away and speaking.

The police body camera video begins while the officers are in their vehicles, though the audio is muted. Additionally, the body camera videos do not show the woman driving recklessly on Pulaski Highway (Route 40), which is what led to the police stop, police said.

Court documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal indicate the woman was making sudden lane changes without a signal and following other vehicles too closely as she drove west on Route 40 around 2:15 p.m. Saturday. Police said they saw her driving erratically from Walther Road to Wellington Drive.

After learning the vehicle’s registration had been suspended for lack of insurance, court documents say the officer turned on his emergency lights and followed the Toyota into the Royal Farms parking lot at 1551 Pulaski Highway.

“In the parking lot, the Toyota made a quick left turn, as this time I quickly turned on my siren to make sure the driver knew I was behind him,” the officer said in court documents.

After the Toyota backed into a parking space, court documents say the SUV’s driver rolled down her side window and began yelling obscenities at the officer.

Although the woman is not heard yelling obscenities at the officer at the time, her body camera video shows him getting out of his car and ordering her three times to get out of her Toyota.

“Why do you stutter?”

That’s when the woman is heard asking the officer why she should get out of her vehicle.

“Because I asked you to,” the officer replied.

As he approaches her, he continues to order her to get out of the Toyota, but she refuses.

After opening the door, he explains why he followed her. The woman, who sometimes seems to mock the policeman, tells him she is calling her lawyer.

“That’s good,” he tells her, to which she replies, “Yeah. That’s good. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.”

He then gives him one last chance to get out of the Toyota or he will arrest him for resisting arrest.

He then begins to explain how the United States Supreme Court ruled that police officers can order a person out of their vehicle during a traffic stop because the person has already been lawfully detained.

More: A police officer orders you to get out of your vehicle during a traffic stop. Should you obey?

But before he could finish, the woman interrupted him.

“Why are you stuttering?” she asked. “Breathe. Calm down.”

“I’m gonna have fun with you in court, baby”

Still in her Toyota, the woman asks to speak to the officer’s supervisor, telling him she will listen to that person instead.

The officer tells her that when his backup arrives, he will take her out of the Toyota and handcuff her.

“And then when you get your hands on me, I’ll make sure it’s recorded,” she says, to which the officer tells her the stop is being recorded and points to his body camera.

When the officer tries to explain further, the woman interrupts him, asking, “Can we move quickly?”

The officer continues to explain why she is being arrested, listing the charges she will face.

The officer asked her again if she wanted to get out of the vehicle, to which she responded “no.”

“I’m going to have fun with you in court, sweetie,” she told the officer with a smile. “We’re going to have a great day.”

As she waits for her reinforcements to arrive, the woman asks, “So, how’s your day going, other than that?”

“Well, I’d rather not have to deal with that right now,” he says, to which she replies, “Me too, but you decided to stop me.”

“It shouldn’t have happened like this”

As his backup arrives, the officer is heard saying he is going to get the woman out of her car.

“First of all, you’re not getting me out of here,” she tells the officer, who holds out his right arm. “Don’t touch me.”

The woman asks the officers to move away so she can get out. As she starts to get up, the officers grab her by the arm and escort her to the back of her Toyota, telling her to put her hands behind her back.

A fight breaks out, with the woman asking the officers not to touch her. At one point, the woman is seen grabbing a police officer’s vest and baton.

“Stop. Let go of me,” he orders her.

She continues to resist as officers order her to get on the ground and one officer is heard saying, “I’m going to punch you in the face.”

“Do it,” she told him.

It took three officers nearly 40 seconds — from the moment the woman got out of her Toyota — to get her to the ground.

That’s when you hear one of the officers yell at him to let go of his foot.

A fourth officer joins the others and begins to strike the woman in the back of the head. At least one other officer had already started doing so after being ordered to let go of the officer’s foot.

The officers manage to free her foot and place her on her stomach. The woman continues to struggle, but the officers eventually put her arms behind her back and handcuff her.

The woman mentioned a camera, to which an officer replied that the incident was being recorded.

“It’s on camera, ma’am,” the officer said. “We’re all on camera.”

As the woman is handcuffed, a police officer tells her: “It shouldn’t have happened like this.”

“You’re all lucky I’m handcuffed.”

Handcuffed and lying on the ground, the woman yells insults at the police officers, telling them that it took all their efforts to arrest her.

“It took four police officers to take down a little girl like me?” she shouted at them. “I don’t even weigh 50 kilos.”

Court records show the 5’10” woman weighs 130 pounds.

“You’re all lucky I’m in handcuffs, because if I wasn’t, you weren’t on duty, you wouldn’t have done this,” she said as police turned her to the side, to which one officer replied, “Oh yeah?”

The woman then turns to the last officer seen hitting her: “And then you hit me in my… Oh, honey.”

“That’s what happens when you don’t let go when you’re told to,” the officer replied.

The officer then tells the woman to stay on her side so she can breathe.

“I’m fine,” the woman said, rolling over onto her back, suggesting that if she died, her daughter would benefit in some way.

The officers eventually roll her onto her side and lift her up. The video shows her resisting as they lead her into the back of a police SUV. One officer tells her they will drag her to the vehicle if she doesn’t walk.

As police place her in the back seat of the SUV, an officer tells her to put her feet inside the vehicle.

“Can you say please?” the woman repeats until the officers manage to push her legs and feet into the SUV and close the door.

The video ends after this.

The nearly 30-minute video released Thursday by county police is a compilation of four police body cameras — those belonging to the officers involved in the woman’s arrest.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or [email protected].