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Newly released police body cam video shows the moment North Carolina cops tackled a black woman to the ground before kneeing, punching and groping her thighs and buttocks her during an arrest that drew strong outrage from the public.
The incident – captured by a bystander as well as police body cam video – took place around 2pm on November 13.
A group of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers surrounded Bojangles employees Christina Pierre and Anthony Nathaniel Lee as they sat on a park bench and smoked marijuana.
During the ordeal, cops grabbed Pierre and Lee, tackling them to the ground. Both the bystander video and the body cam footage released on Tuesday showed police kneeing, punching and groping Pierre after she was already restrained and unable to move.
The footage drew a rebuke from community leaders who denounced the use of force.
An investigation cleared six of the seven officers involved, and police dropped all charges against both suspects.
![Newly released police body cam video revealed the violent encounter between Christina Pierre and seven officers from Charlotte police](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900599-12858159-Newly_released_police_body_cam_video_revealed_the_violent_encoun-a-2_1702471226221.jpg)
Newly released police body cam video revealed the violent encounter between Christina Pierre and seven officers from Charlotte police
![Earlier bystander video showed a wider angle of the encounter as the group of cops detains Pierre. Bodycam video was released on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900633-12858159-Earlier_bystander_video_showed_a_wider_angle_of_the_encounter_as-a-1_1702471226219.jpg)
Earlier bystander video showed a wider angle of the encounter as the group of cops detains Pierre. Bodycam video was released on Tuesday
Officer Vincent Pistone was identified as the cop who repeatedly punched Pierre during the arrest. He was suspended for 40 hours after an internal affairs investigation determined that he used excessive force.
The bodycam video starts off with one cop approaching Pierre and Lee sitting on park bench near the highway.
The officer says: ‘What’s up guys? You guys hanging out?’
‘Just got off of work,’ Lee says.
Pierre then says: ‘What did we do wrong?’ as another officer approached them from behind.
‘It smells like you’re smoking weed,’ the first officer says.
‘It’s the stuff from the store, they sell it in the store. The THCA,’ Lee says.
The second cop then steps in front of them and says: ‘You smoking weed? You guys smoking weed?’
With the joint in her hand, Lee says: ‘We got it from the smoke shops.’
One of the officers grabs Lee by his wrist and Pierre steps in and says: ‘Woah, what are you doing?’
The first responding cop then snatches Pierre by her shirt and pulls her from the bench.
As she tries to get back to the bench to grab her belongings, the cop handling her pulls her by her arm and says: ‘Ma’am you’re under arrest’ as she tries to fight him off.
The video then cuts to the woman pinned to the ground as multiple cops restrain her.
With one cop’s right leg on the back of her leg, the others grab her and one says: ‘Put your hands behind you back’ as he repeatedly knees her in the back of her leg.
![Pierre was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, resisting officers and marijuana possession. All of her charges, along with Lee's were dropped](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900627-12858159-Pierre_was_arrested_and_charged_with_assault_on_a_government_off-a-3_1702471226222.jpg)
Pierre was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, resisting officers and marijuana possession. All of her charges, along with Lee’s were dropped
![Pierre was pulled off of the bench after one cop grabbed her coworker by his wrist to arrest him. She was then thrown to the ground where the rest of the violent encounter took place](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900613-12858159-Pierre_was_pulled_off_of_the_bench_after_one_cop_grabbed_her_cow-a-4_1702471226222.jpg)
Pierre was pulled off of the bench after one cop grabbed her coworker by his wrist to arrest him. She was then thrown to the ground where the rest of the violent encounter took place
That same officer, Pistone, who was not involved in the initial encounter, then punches her repeatedly in the buttocks and gropes between her thighs as the other officers continue to restrain her on the grass.
‘Stop resisting,’ the officer who punches her says as Pierre cries out.
The video cuts to the woman being taken to the police car as she screams: ‘What is going on? What did I do? What did I do?’
The group of officers then try to seat the bloody-faced woman in the vehicle, as one comes in from the other side and grabs her arm to get in.
Officers claim Pierre hit one cop in the face as they moved to arrest her, and that Lee was armed with a 9mm handgun.
Officers claim that they began striking Pierre because she was ‘laying on her hands and not allowing officers to arrest her’.
Authorities claim Pierre was struck using a trained technique in an attempt to gain her cooperation.
The arrest sparked public outraged after the bystander video went viral, with the community demanding officer accountability over the use of force.
‘These are tense situations that have the potential to escalate quickly,’ CMPD said in a statement at the time.
‘Police use of force is never easy to watch. Officers are trained to strike large muscle groups in order to gain compliance during an arrest.’
Pierre was arrested and charged with assault on a government official, resisting officers and marijuana possession. All of her charges, along with Lee’s were later dropped.
![Pierre is seen screaming as the group of officers transport her to the vehicle. In the video Pierre said: 'What is going on? What did I do? What did I do?'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900631-12858159-Pierre_is_seen_screaming_as_the_group_of_officers_transport_her_-a-5_1702471226222.jpg)
Pierre is seen screaming as the group of officers transport her to the vehicle. In the video Pierre said: ‘What is going on? What did I do? What did I do?’
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/13/12/78900625-12858159-image-a-6_1702471226223.jpg)
Residents were not convinced by the department’s explanation and excuses.
‘It doesn’t really matter, unless someone takes a gun out and points at you, you shouldn’t be beating on anyone,’ local man Abdul Evans told WSOC-TV after the bystander video.
‘It took 17 blows,’ activist Kass Ottley told the broadcaster. ‘That’s insane to me,’
‘The use of force does not fit the situation and they are supposed to deescalate the situation,’ she added.
‘Like many other Charlotteans, we were shocked and saddened by the video of an incident between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and a Bojangles employee,’ the fast food chain said.
‘While we wait to learn more of the details of what led to the incident, we plan to cooperate fully with any investigation.
‘We can confirm that the individual in the video and her partner had recently clocked out from their shifts at Bojangles and left the property.
‘They both remain employed by Bojangles at this time.’