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CHARLOTTE – Body camera footage of an arrest incident at a southwest Charlotte bus station last month was released Tuesday morning.
In a viral video that went viral last month, Christina Pierre is seen being punched repeatedly by a police officer while standing on the sidewalk at South Tryon Street and Arrowood Road. The video was quickly shared in Charlotte and made national headlines.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said that on November 13, the incident began when a police officer arrested Pierre and his girlfriend for smoking marijuana. .
( READ MORE: Amid controversy over THC cigarettes, what is the law in North Carolina? )
Pierre was accused of punching an officer in the face while they were arresting him, CMPD said in response to the viral video.
It begins with two CMPD officers approaching Lee and Pierre as they sit on a bus bench outside Bojangles. An officer said he smelled marijuana, but Pierre and Lee told police they bought it legally at a nearby smoke shop. The couple told police it was a THC-A cigarette.
“Do you smoke weed?” Do you smoke weed?” asked the officer.
“It comes from the grocery store,” Lee said.
“We got it from the store,” said Pierre.
“Well I can smell it from that,” said the officer.
“We got it from the smoke shop!” Pierre said.
One of the officers said, “Okay” and grabbed Lee to stop him without saying that he was under arrest. Pierre gets up from the chair and asks why they are being detained.
“Okay,” said the policeman. “Go ahead, say something, put your hands behind his back.”
“Woah, woah, woah, what are you doing?” Pierre said.
“Can you stop? We just got off work,” Lee said.
“What are you doing?!” Pierre said.
A struggle ensued, and video footage was shown many aspects of the officers interact with Lee and Pierre. During the struggle, one of the officers can be heard saying, “You’re under arrest.”
One of the videos shows Pierre pulling back from an officer as he picks him up, and it appears that he hit the officer in the shoulder area.
Almost immediately afterwards, the guard punched Pierre and took him down.
Video footage shows other police arriving while Pierre’s stomach is on the ground. The police tried to put both of his hands behind his back while holding him down. His right hand rests under his stomach as the police shout for him to put his hands behind his back. At that time, another guard uses his knee and fist to beat Pierre together to force him to comply.
First announcement:
The videos were released after the CMPD asked the court to release them for additional information after the videos went viral.
On Monday night, the Charlotte City Council reviewed the video of the body. Representative Tiawana Brown told Channel 9 what she witnessed in the video.
“From the time they pulled up on Arrowood Road at Bojangles, I think things could have been done differently. Things could have been done differently. Things escalated very quickly, and it was difficult for him. I watched. So, I shared my concerns with my colleagues, and many of them agreed. But I want to give Jennings his due diligence, and I agree with Spencer on repealing charges,” Brown said.
The couple is accused of illegal possession of marijuana, as well as resisting arrest. However, all charges against them have been dropped by the District Attorney’s Office.
Pierre and Lee now have legal representation and can file a lawsuit now that the film has been released.
CMPD shared the results of the investigation showing that the substance seized from the couple contained “marijuana of contains tetrahydrocannabinol,” but the study does not say whether the drug is Delta-9 THC or a legal variation.
You can watch the video here.
It’s a fictional story; wsoctv.com information will be provided.
VIDEO: Charlotte City Council to review body camera footage of Monday’s arrest
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