A North Carolina police officer is facing charges after he was seen repeatedly punching a Black woman during an arrest on Friday, May 29.
Karson Hyder, 22, turned himself in to the Cleveland County Detention Center early Monday. He was released on a $10,000 bond, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
The SBI said they were requested to investigate Hyder by the Shelby Police Chief and the Cleveland County District Attorney.
Investigators determined he used excessive force during the injury, charging him with one count of assault inflicting serious injury.
Hyder was fired after a video of the arrest was posted on social media.
An affidavit obtained by CNN said Hyder “did assault and strike [the woman] by grabbing [her] by the arm, pushing her to the ground and striking her in the face with a closed fist, thereby inflicting serious injury, possible broken nose and busted lip.”
The affidavit added the woman, who has been identified as 34-year-old Cherrie Moore, was asking for mental health care as officers arrested her. She said she was off her medication and repeatedly asked for officers to call her father.
Her father spoke with CNN about the video.
“I was so upset. … Why is this man doing this to my daughter? What reason? And she’s sick,” Gregory Moore told the network.
Hyder was allegedly arresting the woman for breaking and entering after a “suspicious female” call.
“I want to be clear that the inappropriate use of force is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by myself, the Shelby Police Department, or the city of Shelby,” the police chief said Friday after Hyder was fired. “We understand the concerns this instance has caused within our community, and want to assure the public that this matter is being taken seriously.”
It is unclear what happened in the moments leading up to the struggle on video.
The encounter with Hyder was reportedly captured by a motion-activated door camera at a home not far from the scene of the alleged break-in.
The network also reports court records show Hyder had a previous encounter with Moore last August, resulting in her being charged with another break-in and resisting an officer.
Attorney Ronald Haynes Jr. told CNN the incident “will forever impact the life” of Moore and her family.
“This has devastated our community and furthered the distrust between the African American community and police.”
This is just the latest video in a long history of abuse and violence on Black people at the hands of police.
“We understand the community has questions and concerns, and we take that very seriously,” SBI director Chip Hawley said. “We ask the public to be patient as we conduct our work.”
According to a warrant for the woman obtained by WBTV, Moore was charged with breaking and entering a building, resisting arrest and assault on a government official.
As of Monday, her charges of resisting a public officer and assault on a government official were dropped, the outlet reported.
