Disturbing video has surfaced of an Ohio cop repeatedly punching a Black woman in the face while making an arrest.
In the footage, obtained by Dayton 24/7, two officers are seen standing in front of their cruiser while attempting to restrain the woman who has been identified as Latinka Hancock.
The beginning of the video has no audio but shows Hancock pushing the officers away while speaking with them. One cop, Tim Zellers, is seen pointing a stun gun at the woman while the other officer, Todd Stanley, restrains her arm and shoulder.
As Hancock waves her hands around, Stanley viciously punches her in the face until she falls on the hood of the cop car. Both officers proceed to restrain her while Zellers handcuffs her.
At a press conference, Butler Township Chief of Police John Porter said that Stanley has been placed on paid administrative leave while detectives conduct an investigation.
“The administrative investigation will include interviews and statements from any and all possible witnesses, including any other officers that were involved,” Porter said. “If improper conduct is found as a result of the investigation, the findings will include a recommendation for disciplinary action.”
He further elaborated that while officers can use force “for personal protection” some police responses to civilians are unacceptable. He did not comment on whether the police officers’ actions were inappropriate and is waiting for the investigation to conclude before he comments further.
“According to her attorney…as Hancock was leaving the restaurant, Butler Township police officers confronted her and during the incident she was punched repeatedly in the head, sending her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a head injury,” Ryan Julison, the media contact for Hancock’s attorney, told The Daily Beast in a written statement.
Hancock’s attorney, Michael Wright, subsequently said that the incident occurred over miscommunication about an order between Hancock and a McDonald’s employee.
It is “an incredibly sad day when [my client’s] life has been upended over a piece of cheese,” Wright said in an interview obtained by WDTN-TV Dayton.
“This incident never should have occurred in the first place,” Wright concluded. “McDonald’s should be ashamed in resorting to calling the police over a disagreement for an order they got wrong. If they can’t manage basic customer service and now opting to potentially put a person’s life in jeopardy over a mishandled Big Mac, it doesn’t seem safe for Black people to go and eat at McDonald’s anymore.”
