Fairfield officer reassigned amid excessive force claims, outrage grows as new video surfaces

A Fairfield, California police officer involved in a violent arrest of a teenager at a high school used “distraction strikes” to take the student into custody. Family members said the student was “beaten like a dog.” Video of the arrest led a former arrestee to describe a similar experience from about a year earlier involving the same officer. In that earlier incident, cellphone footage showed the arrestee being pulled from a vehicle by her hair during an arrest. The Fairfield Police Chief administratively reassigned the officer while the community and advocates cited the two recorded interactions as evidence of a pattern of aggression and excessive force, and called for termination.

"The high school student, identified by family members as Maurice Williams, was taken into custody using what the Fairfield police chief described as “distraction strikes.” Family members stated that Williams was “beaten like a dog.” RELATED: Backlash after video shows Fairfield officer strike student amid high school fight, 2 teens arrested Footage of the violent arrest prompted a former arrestee to speak out about her own experience with the same officer."

"In the incident a year ago, the video shows Hamilton being ripped from her vehicle by her hair as she was getting arrested by the same officer as seen last Wednesday. The incident has drawn direct parallels to a traffic stop from nearly a year ago involving Myah Hamilton, who was 18 at the time. Cellphone video from that encounter shows Hamilton being arrested by the same officer now under scrutiny for the high school incident."

"“The same thing that happened to that poor boy, happened to me,” said Hamilton. In a statement released late Friday the Fairfield Police Chief said in part, “The officer has been administratively reassigned in the department as we navigate this emotional and challenging time.” Community advocates are pointing to the two recorded interactions as evidence of systemic issues within the local police force."

"“This is a pattern of aggression, this is a pattern of excessive force, this is a pattern that Fairfield PD is allowing to have happen in this community,” said Berry Accius, a community advocate with Voice of the Youth. While the officer has been administratively reassigned, community advocates and Hamilton are calling for her termination, alleging a pattern of a"

Read at ABC7 San Francisco