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Shocking video shows Florida officer slamming woman to the ground during arrest as she screams ‘I'm pregnant!'
The officer ordered the woman to get out of the car, subsequently grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her and pushing her to the ground
A shocking video shows a Florida cop dragging a pregnant black woman out of her car and pushing her to the ground. Back in May, police were called to the scene in Boca Raton by someone who apparently saw partners Harry Hardy and Nerillia Laurent engaging in a heated argument. The footage shows the officer, Matthew McNichol, approaching the couple, claiming Boca Raton was “his city.”
Matthew is seen ordering Nerillia to get out of the car, subsequently grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her and pushing her to the ground. As he slams her to the ground, she yells, “I'm pregnant.”
Harry is heard telling another cop, “She's six months pregnant, what is wrong with him?” Shortly after the incident, Matthew was allowed to retire from his department, according to BocaNewsNow.com. He reportedly submitted his notice of retirement on June 1.
The video starts with Matthew asking the couple,”Why are we getting all kinds of phone calls?” After Harry said they were having a dispute, Matthew is heard saying, “You're having a dispute in public in my city, the city of Boca Raton.” As the three begin arguing, Matthew asks for their IDs, which they refuse to provide.
Harry tells the officer, “She doesn't have to give you her licence,” and Nerillia is heard saying, “'If you arrest me now and put me on the ground and I am pregnant, you are going to get charged.” This argument is what leads to the altercation.
Following the incident and the video being released, Police Chief Michele Miuccio said in a statement, according to Daily Mail, “An internal affairs investigation has been initiated into the officer's conduct and it will be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed based on the outcome of that investigation.”
“I basically want him to never do this to another couple, another person. I don't want another child to be traumatised by him again,” Nerillia told CBS12 News.
In a June 1 Facebook post, Boca Raton Police Services Department shared a post saying, in part, “Nerillia Laurent was charged with Resisting an Officer Without Violence and was issued a citation for No Valid Driver License. Laurent was also arrested for an active warrant out of Palm Beach County for Failure to Appear, Driving While License Cancelled, Suspended or Revoked, and Giving a False Name Upon Being Arrested or Detained,” adding, “Harry Hardy was charged with Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer.”
