The arrest of a woman who witnesses said was slammed to the ground repeatedly by an officer prompted an investigation by a Virginia police department.
Shakema Mithcell, 24, was booked Monday on public intoxication charges after Virginia Beach police received a call about a disorderly person, police told The Virginian-Pilot.
Virginia Beach police announced a review after a bystander filmed a video of the moments after she said an officer dragged Mithcell by the arm and smashed her head and face into the ground multiple times.
People were stopping in their cars. Thats how bad it was, witness Rhonda Elliott told the local newspaper. They were asking him, Do you have to be so aggressive? Others were urging the officer to relax or take it easy.
Elliot and her cousin, Lauren Etheridge, said the officer seen pinning the sprawled Mithcell across the curb on General Booth Blvd. stopped using as much force when Etheridge began filming.
Mithcell flailed her arms and yelled out Get off me! as the officer remained on top of her back and handcuffed her alongside two other officers who arrived to the scene, according to the video. Etheridge later posted the three-minute footage to the departments Facebook page.
Virginia Beach police said in a statementto WAVY-TV that the internal affairs division would investigate whether any officers violated the departments policies.
Mithcell had actually been arrested before Etheridge and Elliot saw the officer pull over and take her out of the cruiser with one hand cuffed, according to the police
