‘SHOCKED AND ANGERED’

Miami Police Officer Suspended After Sickening Video Shows Him Punching Black Woman in the Face

The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department has ordered an immediate investigation.

A Miami police officer has been suspended after shocking body camera footage showed him punching a Black woman at full force in her face. Alfredo Ramirez, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said in a statement late Wednesday that he was “shocked and angered” by the footage, which was posted on social media by filmmaker Billy Corben. Ramirez said that he had “immediately initiated an investigation” and ordered that the involved officers be “relieved of duty.” The video is said to have been shot at Miami International Airport on Wednesday. The woman is shown standing close to one of the officers before he lands a sickening punch on the left side of her face. The officer then pushes the woman to the ground as fellow officers move in to restrain her. One officer can be heard claiming that the woman head-butted him, though the video does not show that. The Miami Herald named the officer as Antonio Clemente Rodriguez, a Black officer of Puerto Rican heritage.