The Kansas City Police Department says they’re investigating after a cellphone video surfaced showing the rough arrest of a Black woman on the ground by several of its officers last month.
The Jan. 28 video captures the heated arrest of 25-year-old Daysheion Renee Ponds, which the Kansas City Star published on its website. It shows, in part, one of the arresting officers pushing a screaming and handcuffed Ponds to the ground and saying, “If you act like an animal, we’re going to treat you like an animal,” as an officer knelt on her back as her hair was grabbed, NPR in Kansas City reported.
The incident in Kansas City, Missouri’s downtown Power and Light District unfolded after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17-10 victory over the host Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, according to NPR.
Ponds was involved in a disturbance with the staff at the Pizza Bar restaurant, and Power and Light’s security initially responded to handle that disturbance, Kansas City officer and spokesperson Alayna Gonzalez said in a statement to Atlanta Black Star.
Ponds, who appeared visibly upset in the clip as she is being escorted before being pushed to the ground, was accused of stealing from the restaurant, according to NPR.
“During the course of that interaction, the woman was placed into custody by security,” the police department’s statement read.
“Police officers then responded and assisted security officers with escorting the detained woman to the security office. Bystanders became involved as well and walked along with security and police as they escorted the woman to the security office,” according to the statement.
As bystanders watched and recorded the incident, an officer threatened to arrest one of them. “Get back or you’re going to jail,” said the officer, who appeared to have blood on his forehead, to a recording bystander as he walked toward the person recording as they backed away. “You can f–ing record all you want, but we’re not playing this game,” the officer said in the clip.
Ponds was arrested and issued municipal summons for assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and theft, the Kansas City Police Department said in a statement.
Atlanta Black Star has reached out to a lawyer representing Ponds requesting a comment.
The department declined to provide additional details amid the ongoing criminal investigation.
“In any case where an officer is assaulted, injured or responds to resistance, the entirety of the events get reviewed by supervisors and command staff. The review of this incident is currently underway,” according to the police statement.
The Urban League of Greater Kansas City shared the video on its Instagram page with a caption that read, “How could this small-statured woman be a threat to the KCPD? She was already in handcuffs! All of this over an argument with a bartender about a bill.”
The Urban League continued, “This was not officers just doing their job. This was excessive force, pure and simple.”
Among Ponds’ injuries were a concussion, a bruised face, swollen eye and memory loss, according to the Urban League’s post.
Black people in Kansas City have reported previous discrimination in the Power and Light District, according to the NPR in Kansas City, including two Black men who sued the company that operates the area for singling them out and denying them club access due to their baggy clothing.
A lawsuit filed last week by a Black woman accused a white Kansas City officer with a history of having killed three civilians on the job and police brutality of using excessive force during an arrest in September 2022, Atlanta Black Star previously reported.
