Gwinnett County

Gwinnett police respond to viral video showing officer shocking woman with Taser

By WSBTV.com News Staff
By WSBTV.com News Staff

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — UPDATE: Gwinnett County police confirmed Friday that the officer involved in this incident has been fired.

“The investigation in this case has shown that Officer Oxford violated our policy and did not meet our core values. For this reason, the employment of Officer Oxford has been terminated as of August 21st,” the department said in a statement.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Gwinnett County police said they are investigating a use-of-force complaint after a video was posted showing a Gwinnett County police officer shocking a woman with a Taser.

Investigators released a statement about the video, saying there was more leading up to the incident than the video shows.

The woman, who was ultimately arrested, bonded out of jail Thursday night, but her family said their push for police accountability is just beginning.

The shock from the Taser knocked Kyndesia Smith, 22, into the bushes of her mother's Loganville home.

Video shows the Gwinnett County police officer continuing to give commands, which he said were being ignored.

Police said Smith continued to resist arrest. Two minutes later, the video shows the officer shoving Smith into the back of the car when Smith appears to kick him.

It happened as Smith’s mother, Aytra Thomas, saw it all.

“He should get fired because he needs more training,” Thomas told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson on Thursday night. “Her side where the Taser went at is messed up. Her neck, her back, my shoulder. It ain’t have to go that way. It could have gone a whole other way.”

It all started when police said Thomas and a neighbor had a dispute Tuesday evening.

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Police said an officer responded because the neighbor said someone had thrown a water bottle at her car and threatened her 9-year-old child.

“He had seen surveillance from the incident, and that’s how he recognized this woman,” Cpl. Collin Flynn with the Gwinnett County Police Department said.

When the officer went to the house on Summit Creek Way, the department reported Smith wouldn't let the officer ask questions.

“He then warned her that she would be tased. She continued to resist, and she was tased,” Flynn said.

Thomas said the officer was aggressive from the moment he approached them.

“When he came up, he said, ‘Y’all need to shut the f--- up,’” Thomas said.

When Johnson asked Thomas if her daughter threw anything or threatened anyone, she said: “No. That’s not true.”

Thomas said the Taser should have never been used, especially while the officer was so close to her.

“I didn’t threaten him. She didn’t threaten him. She only told him, ‘I didn’t want to talk.’ That was true. I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t have to talk,” Thomas said.

Smith now faces charges for felony obstruction and simple battery of a law enforcement officer.

The officer at the center of the arrest is now on administrative leave. His actions are being investigated.

For Smith’s family, they said there should be consequences for the officer.

Here is the full statement from the Gwinnett County Police Department:

“The Gwinnett County Police Department has received multiple inquiries in reference to an arrest video that is circulating on social media. The following is a summary of the incident and what the police department is doing about it.

“On August 18th, the police department received a 911 call in reference to property damage on the 1800 block of Summit Creek Way in Loganville. When the officer arrived, he was informed by the complainant that two people had thrown a bottle at her car. She also said the people threatened to assault her and beat her 9 year old child. The incident of the bottle being thrown was captured on surveillance video. That video shows a woman come and retrieve the bottle from the yard before police arrived. The complainant directed the officer to the house where she believed the suspects were staying.

“When the officer went to the house, he immediately recognized one of the women on the front porch from the video surveillance. He attempted to speak with her about the incident but was unable to do so because the defendant in this case, Kyndesia Smith, began yelling at him. The officer responded by yelling back and told Smith that if she did not let him do his job he would place her under arrest. After several warnings, the officer told Smith that she was under arrest. Smith resisted a lawful command and refused to be placed in handcuffs. After refusing to be placed in handcuffs, she was warned that she would be tased. After she resisted the officer’s commands she was tased and placed in handcuffs. After she was placed in handcuffs she kicked the officer and continued to be uncooperative.

“The police department takes all use of force seriously. All use of force cases are administratively reviewed through the chain of command. An investigation into this incident is being conducted. The officer has been placed in an administrative role pending the outcome of the internal investigation. We have a long history of being transparent public servants to the citizens of Gwinnett County. We will continue to keep our citizens up to date with information on this case as the facts are collected.”

Here is a full video that was shot of the incident:

RAW VIDEO: Video shows incident where Gwinnett officer tased woman Video shows incident where Gwinnett officer tased woman



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