VIDEO: Police violently drag 65-year-old woman from car during traffic stop “I felt like my heart was going to explode”
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Police officers in Alpharetta, Georgia are under internal investigation after disturbing dashcam footage of them dragging an elderly woman from her car during a routine traffic stop surfaced.
According to ABC News, the Alpharetta Police Department posted the troubling video and included a statement from Public Safety Chief John Robison. The video, taken from the squad car dashcam shows the May 4 incident in graphic detail.
Rose Campbell, was reportedly pulled over and issued a ticket for failure to maintain her lane, according to WSB-TV. But when Campbell refused to sign the ticket, which is against the law in Georgia, Officer Michael Swerdlove told her she was under arrest.
Things escalated when an officer aggressively began screaming and cursing at Campbell. He then can be seen grabbing Campbell and trying to pull her out of her vehicle.
“You’re not in charge, shut up and get the f— out of the car!” he’s heard saying on the video.
Rose Campbell can be heard crying out for help from a supervisor.
Campbell spoke with WSB and shared how she was feeling during the traffic stop.
“I just panicked. I felt like my heart exploded,” said Campbell, 65, in an interview with ABC’s Atlanta affiliate WSB. “I didn’t expect that in America. I didn’t expect that in Atlanta. I didn’t expect that especially in Alpharetta.”
“I just panicked. I felt like my heart exploded”: Shocking dashcam footage shows police dragging a 65-year-old woman out of her car at a traffic stop in Alpharetta, Georgia. https://t.co/JT86WK8Q7N pic.twitter.com/I55ixRI7Ay
— ABC News (@ABC) May 11, 2018
“We strive to be a transparent department. If we are going to be 100 percent transparent, that means that we also must be willing to share with you any major concerns that arise regarding employee performance and behavior,” Robison said in the video. “There are aspects about this video that simply do not represent our organization.”
–This Is America: 5 powerful messages that will stay with you long after your Donald Glover hangover—
At one point in the video there are at least five officers on the scene and Campbell is continuing to cry for help, and repeatedly asking to see a supervisor.
WSB has identified the aggressive officer in the video as “Officer Legg,” who was one of the responding officers.
Campbell told WSB thursday that she doesn’t think the police officer should be fired, but that she wants better training. She also said she wants an apology from the city and the police department.
And while Campbell has retained civil rights attorney, Mutepe Akemon, she said she wasn’t sure if she’d take legal action.
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