Rural NC police officer filmed beating woman is suspended by police chief
A Shelby police officer was placed on administrative suspension after he was filmed repeatedly punching a woman while trying to arrest her on Friday morning, the police chief said.
“Earlier today, officers with the Shelby Police Department were conducting a criminal investigation when they encountered a suspicious female in the area,” said Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser at a news conference. “As seen in the video currently circulating on social media, the actions taken by one officer during that encounter are disturbing and inappropriate. A second officer can be seen intervening to stop those actions.”
The video is timestamped on Friday just after 8 a.m. and shows an officer, who hasn’t been named, throwing a woman to the ground and beating her with his fist outside some homes.
A second officer steps in after a few moments to pull the woman away and place her in handcuffs. The department did not say why police arrested the woman or what she was being charged with.
The video, recorded on a doorbell camera, has circulated on social media and caused protests outside the Shelby Police Department, according to The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, WSOC.
“We understand the concerns this incident has caused within our community and want to assure the public that this matter is being taken seriously,” Fraser said. “The Shelby Police Department remains committed to professionalism, accountability, and maintaining the trust of the community we serve.”
Fraser said the department is investigating the officer’s conduct.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office weighed in on the video, saying neither of the officers in the video are deputies.
“The conduct depicted is deeply concerning and does not reflect the standards expected of any law enforcement professional,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on social media. “Our comments are directed toward the behavior seen in the video alone, not toward the Shelby Police Department as a whole.”
