An Atlanta police sergeant who kicked a woman in the head as she was being detained on July 26 was fired on Monday, Aug. 2, following an investigation into the incident, officials announced Wednesday.
Sgt. Marc Theodule was terminated after the Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards launched an investigation after footage of the incident surfaced on Instagram. Bridget Citizen, a second officer on scene who stood by as Theodule kicked the woman, was returned to full duty after that same investigation found she had not violated the department’s duty-to-intervene policy.
Both officers were initially relieved of duty following the incident, as Citizen’s inaction was noted, and Theodule, who’d been an APD member since 2008, was suspended without pay.
Chief Rodney Bryant announced on Monday that Theodule’s actions violated department policy and that he’d acted outside of APD’s standards and training.
In regards to Citizen, Bryant said, “Our expectation is that employees intervene in on-going, active situations, in this case, the kick occurred one time and then ceased.” He added that Citizen brought the incident to the attention of a supervisor shortly after it happened.
On July 26, police responded to the scene to reports about a woman, reportedly identified by her attorney as Ashley Cooley, pointing a gun at several people on Haygood Avenue in the Peoplestown neighborhood. Cooley was detained when officers “became concerned with the female’s mental health” and requested that she be transported to the hospital for an evaluation. She was not charged with a crime.
Footage of the incident shows a handcuffed Cooley lying handcuffed on the ground on her stomach as Theodule and Citizen stand nearby. When Cooley lifted her head and spat on Theodule, he kicked her in the side of the head.
“I want our officers and the public to know that I do not take terminating employees lightly,” Chief Bryant said. “But I also understand that the Atlanta Police Department must be held to the highest standards, and with that comes accountability when departmental policy is violated. Considering all the facts, I support the findings and recommendations made in this case.”
Cooley, who has said she has mental health issues, said at a press conference last week that officers “need more training” dealing with those types of situations. She has called for police to be defunded and her attorney Gerald Griggs believes Theodule should face charges.
“We are hopeful that this is a step in the right direction for full justice and accountability in the police brutality case for Ms. Cooley,” Griggs said in a statement. “We continue to demand the immediate charging of Sgt. Theodule for his assault against Ms. Cooley by Fulton County prosecutors.”
Cooley is recuperating from her injuries at home surrounded by family, Griggs said. Police have not said whether Cooley was injured by the kick.
