New Jersey police released body cam footage on Wednesday that shows the violent arrest of 20-year-old Emily Weinman on a beach in New Jersey over Memorial Day Weekend. The original video on social media showed a police officer punching Weinman and pinning her down on the sand.
The new video shows the moments leading up to the attack showcased in the now-viral video, as the officer asks Weinman to conduct a breathalyzer test and she refuses to share her last name so the officer can give her a citation. She tells the officers that she did not drink any alcohol, while the officers warn her that it is on “display" and that she could be charged with possession. "I didn't disrespect you," Weinman says. "I didn't do anything to get written up." At one point Weinman screams: “Don’t fucking touch me.”
As the situation starts to heat up, one officer is heard saying: “OK, that’s it, I’m done with you.” The second officer asks if the other has any “cuffs.” “You’re about to get dropped,” one of them tells Weinman; she appears to push one of the officers and then the video cuts to the officer beating Weinman. She is also seen spitting at one of the officers as he attempts to handcuff her.
In the ensuing scuffle, Weinman claims the officer is choking her. "I'm not choking you," the officer responds. "The fuck you are, you fucking dickhead," Weinman says. She later claims: “I'm a woman... You're not allowed to hit me and choke me like that.”
Finally, Weinman is heard screaming: "You white piece of fucking trash. I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't drinking."
Weinman’s attorney claimed in a statement that the videos show the officers “overreact[ing] to a situation which had no elements of violence or the need for anyone to be taken into custody.”
Per BuzzFeed News, Weinman has been charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault by spitting bodily fluids at an officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction, and minor in possession of alcohol. The officers involved in her arrest have been reassigned to administrative duty while the investigation is ongoing.
She was at the beach with her friend, her 18-month-old daughter, and her daughter’s father. Police approached her after they suspected she was drinking while underage.
