Atlanta cop fired after tasering and punching mom in front of child
The Atlanta cop who was caught on video bodyslamming a Black woman and tasering her multiple has now been fired. —Former NFL player faces rape charges of two women— Sgt. James Hines was dismissed from duty by Atlanta...
The Atlanta cop who was caught on video bodyslamming a Black woman and tasering her multiple times has now been fired.
—Former NFL player faces rape charges of two women—
Sgt. James Hines was dismissed from duty by Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields on May 17. A violent video, from May 1, shows Hines punching Maggie Thomas in the face, bodyslamming her to the ground, and tasering her multiple times.
The video, shot by a bystander, soon went viral prompting calls for action against the officer.
Thomas was initially charged with a crime but those charges were dropped against the mother who was shocked repeatedly with the officer’s stun gun in front of her four-year-old daughter.
The Office of Professional Standards reportedly determined that Hines used unnecessary force that was inconsistent with Atlanta Police Department training, WSBTV reports.
When Thomas learned her charges was dropped, she still was concerned about the officer’s version of the story claiming that she bit him during the violent arrest.
“For him to say that I bit him, it made it feel like he was justified in tasing me,” she said.
Thomas reportedly was with her child and sitting in her car in the back of her apartment complex when an officer approached to question her the vehicle.
The officer told her not to drive the car because it was not insured and she had an outstanding traffic warrant.
—Police officer admits he falsified Eric Garner’s charges after fatal chokehold during trial—
Thomas was concerned that her daughter had to see the violent ordeal unfold.
“I couldn’t console her and comfort her at the time. That’s the worst part of it,” she told reporters about the incident her daughter who witnessed from the backseat of the vehicle.
