A new allegation has surfaced in a case after an Arizona college student got involved in a violent incident with a police officer.
Attorney Benjamin Taylor said a Tempe police officer groped his client, 21-year-old Eryn Bonner, while arresting her. She is facing several misdemeanors in Tempe City Court.
Atlanta Black Star previously reported that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office decided not to press charges against Bonner. Officials added that “there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
What Happened?
Bonner got into a fight with officers on July 19 in downtown Tempe. Those officers were called to break up a separate altercation.
Quinn Gamino, who recorded the original video, told Atlanta Black Star one of the two men officers detained in the video was Bonner’s boyfriend.
At one point in the video, one of the officers pushes Bonner.
“You want to push a [expletive?]” she yelled at the officer before he tackled her to the ground. It appeared that the officer swung at Bonner.
“He just hit her! He just hit her!” a man in the crowd yelled from the background.
At the end of the video, three people, including Bonner, are visible lying on the ground in handcuffs.
“DON’T RESIST!” someone from the crowd shouted to Bonner as officers put her in the patrol car.
“I’ll spit on your a–! You punched a [expletive], bro. You want to punch a female?” she yelled. “You see my [expletive] face?”
Court documents claimed Bonner tried to pull one of the men away from officers, but it is not shown in the video. Police also previously claimed she punched the officer multiple times.
Bonner was charged with misdemeanor assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstruction, according to ABC15.
Family and Police React
The college student’s family released the following statement:
“There are no words to fully describe the heartbreak of watching our daughter being hurt by someone entrusted to protect and serve our community. The hardest thing is seeing the pain and sadness in her eyes that we cannot take away. Expecting public servants to live up to the highest standards of their profession is not an act of animosity toward those who serve with honor. Rather, it is essential to preserving public trust and upholding the integrity and legitimacy of our institutions. We respectfully ask for your prayers and support as our daughter and our family continue to heal.”
Tempe’s police chief Kenneth McCoy was asked by ABC15 about the investigation during an interview on a separate topic.
“I’m thankful that we have cameras in our community where we were able to capture the whole incident, not just the 30-second clip that was seen by most,” he said. “We investigate everything that took place, and so all of the actions and, you know, the officers who were involved are part of that investigation. We look at our policies and procedures to make sure everything was done correctly.”
Legal Perspective
Attorney Benjamin Taylor pointed out in the video when the officer allegedly groped Bonner.
“Ms. Bonner was groped by this city of Tempe police officer based on the video,” he said. “You see the officer’s hand go on top of her buttocks. As far as we know, that’s not a police move or procedure.”
Taylor added that you can also see the officer place his hand in the same location in his body camera footage.
“She’s being victimized by the same people that are here to serve and protect the people who are walking around in the city of Tempe,” Taylor said. “He’s been sworn to serve and protect. But, pushing and punching, that’s not serving and protecting.”
Tempe police sent Atlanta Black Star the following statement regarding the case:
“The investigation was initially submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review of alleged felony offenses and the Tempe City Prosecutor’s Office for review of one alleged misdemeanor offense. After reviewing those allegations, the County Attorney declined to file any felony charges.
Once the felony charges were declined, the case was routed through the Department’s normal process for misdemeanor review and the Tempe Police Department notified the Tempe City Prosecutor’s Office additional misdemeanor charges would be submitted. The Tempe City Prosecutor’s Office elected to dismiss the original misdemeanor charge to allow for a review of all charges simultaneously. The Tempe Police Department has submitted materials for review for all potential misdemeanor charges at this time.“
