BAD COP

Florida Police Sergeant Caught on Body-Cam Assaulting Female Officer

The sergeant’s bodycam footage showed the graphic encounter.

A Sunrise, Florida, police sergeant was booted from his supervisory roles and is under investigation after a bodycam video showed him assault another officer trying to de-escalate a tense scene involving a suspect. The Nov. 19 footage, obtained by NBC News, showed the sergeant begin to act aggressively toward the “verbally and physically resistive” suspect. His behavior—which included holding a can of pepper spray toward the suspect as he verbally fought with him—prompted another responding officer to intervene, pulling the sergeant back by his duty belt. This appeared to enrage the sergeant, as he turned toward the woman and pushed her by the neck toward her car. Sunrise Police Chief Anthony W. Rosa blasted the sergeant’s behavior as “inappropriate and unprofessional” and praised the responding officer for following proper protocol. “The actions taken were definitive and demonstrative of good leadership during a tense situation,” he said.