A rookie officer in Jacksonville, Florida has been fired and charged with battery after a video was released showing him punch a handcuffed woman multiple times.
The incident occurred Wednesday after officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a woman who was trespassing at a local bar.
A police report said 31-year-old Mayra Martinez was drunk and belligerent and required a police escort after she quit on her first day of work.
The report also detailed Martinez biting and kicking officers while resisting arrest and being transported to the Duval County Jail.
While waiting to be booked the video shows Martinez being shoved against a wall by 26-year-old officer Akinyemi Borisade.
Martinez is seen kicking at Borisade before he unleashes at least two punches on her.
“You will see him take her in a backward direction up against the wall,” said Undersheriff Pat Ivey. “You will see her attempt to kick him once, miss. Kick him again and you will see him strike her.”
Corrections officers who witnessed the incident reported it.
Borisade, who had been with the Sheriff’s Office for a year, was fired on Thursday and has been charged with battery.
The officers who witnessed the incident but failed to step in are unlikely to face firing or charges.
“Witnessing a crime does not constitute a crime,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“There are ways that this could have been dealt with without striking her,” said Ivey. “He could have turned her around and held her in a transporting position.”
“There was no need to strike her,” added Ivey.
According to the department, Borisade was a probationary officer, meaning he can’t appeal the firing, but he can request a hearing to have his name cleared with the Sheriff’s Office.