Police Officer Punches Woman Driver, Drags Her Over The Pavement

A video showing an Arizona police officer forcefully removing a woman from her car and dragging her along the pavement was posted on social media Thursday.

The incident, which took place at a traffic stop near Van Buren Street and Dysart Road, Arizona, was under investigation, Goodyear Police Department said in a statement.

In the nearly half-a-minute video clip, recorded by a passerby, the unidentified officer was seen trying to pull a woman out of a vehicle by yanking her arm. To prevent the officer from doing so, the woman held on the car door. The officer proceeded to punch the woman in the face and continued to pull her out of the car.

After the woman fell on the pavement, along with her purse, the officer continued to pull her by the hand, causing her body to drag along the pavement. Then, the officer ran back to his car parked at a distance behind the woman’s vehicle and pulled out his gun. It was unclear at whom he was pointing the gun at.

At the end of the video, the policeman was seen approaching the woman who was still on the ground, face-down.

In the statement regarding the incident, sent to AZ Central, the police department said:

"On Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 at 1148 hours [2:48 p.m. EDT], a Goodyear officer conducted a motor vehicle stop near the northwest corner of Van Buren and Dysart. The driver who had a suspended driver’s license was notified that she was being placed under arrest; at that time she began to retreat.

When a conflict with a suspect occurs during an arrest, this presents a challenging and often dangerous situation for the arresting officer. The top priority of the Goodyear Police Department is the safety of the public as well as our officers. When a situation such as this occurs, it can appear frightening to passersby who don’t understand the full context of the situation.

In the interest of transparency and maintaining the trust of our public, the Goodyear Police Department is currently investigating the specific details of this particular case. We are working to review body cam footage and conducting interviews to determine exactly what occurred. Once our investigation is complete and all the facts are in, we will be better able to provide accurate information as to the details of this arrest. We appreciate your patience as we conduct our thorough investigation."