Smiths Falls woman seen pulled from police cruiser in video after night of disturbances, arrest
Screengrabs from the video
A video circulating on social media appears to show a Smiths Falls police officer pulling a woman from the back of a cruiser by one leg, then pinning her to the ground. Police say the incident followed her arrest in relation to two separate incidents on Saturday night.
The Smiths Falls Police Service says in a Sunday, June 8 media release that the 29-year-old woman had earlier threatened someone at a Lombard Street home and caused a disturbance at a Main Street business.
According to police, it the incident began on the evening of Saturday, June 7 at about 9 p.m., when officers were called to a residence on Lombard Street in Smiths Falls to respond to a report that a 29-year-old woman had assaulted and uttered threats to injure the occupant.
Later that night, at about 11 p.m., police were called to a local business on Main Street East regarding the same woman, who had allegedly thrown a table at a wall and was acting belligerent toward staff and customers. She was then arrested for causing a disturbance and mischief. Police say the suspect was on two previous probation orders after an incident where victims were threatened with a knife.
Following Saturday’s arrest, police say that the suspect was in the cruiser when she allegedly “repeatedly spit and kicked through the open portion of the plexiglass divider where an officer then intervened.”
Police say the suspect was assessed by paramedics following the incident “as a precautionary measure,” but refused treatment.
The suspect, whom police did not name, faces multiple charges including assault police, causing a disturbance and uttering threats. Charges have not been proven in court.
Police say they are aware of the video of the incident circulating on social media, and that a statement from the Chief of Police is forthcoming.
The video shows an officer pulling the suspect from the cruiser by one leg, then pinning her to the ground while she insults him and accuses him of hitting her in the face with a flashlight.
***The following clip from the original video contains coarse language.***
A clip from the video posted anonymously to social media on June 8
This is a developing story, and the investigation is continuing, police say.
Lanarkist will update this story as details are made available.