Miami police officer relieved of duty after violent arrest of black woman

A Miami police officer has been relieved of duty and an investigation is underway after video surfaced of officers violently forcing a black woman to the ground during an arrest.

“I am aware of the concerning video circulating on social media involving our department,” Juan Perez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said in a statement on Twitter. “I find the actions depicted on the video deeply troubling and in no way reflective of our core values of integrity, respect, service, and fairness.”

An investigation into the entire incident is currently ongoing and upon its conclusion, I will hold those that violated any of our policies and/or procedures accountable for their actions or lack thereof.

— Juan Perez (@JPerezMDPD) March 14, 2019

Perez added in a separate tweet that the department became aware of the incident earlier this month and that it launched an inquiry immediately afterward. 

“[This] resulted in the involved officer being relieved of duty and of his role as a field training officer,” Perez said. 

{mosads}Video surfaced on social media Wednesday night showing a group of Miami police officers forcefully taking the black woman to the ground.

It is unclear what prompted the incident, but the video begins with the woman, Dyma Loving, arguing with a group of officers. 

One of them appears to tell Loving that she needs to be “corrected,” prompting Loving to ask, “Why do I have to be corrected when my life was just threatened, and my daughter’s?”

A black woman Called Miami-Dade Police For Help After A Man Brandished A Weapon and threaten her life. Yet, She Was Arrested for being distraught pic.twitter.com/xQ2vvDZZsW

— Brother Tyrone X (@tyrone345345) March 13, 2019

An officer responds in the video by lunging at Loving and pushing her against a chain fence. He then begins handcuffing Loving before appearing to place her in a chokehold and wrestling her to the pavement. 

Loving repeatedly shouts, “do not touch me,” to the officers. 

“I wanted to call my kids,” Loving tells the officers. “My phone is dead.”

The woman recording the video, which has been viewed about 282,000 times, can be heard asking  why the officers are arresting Loving. 

The 26-year-old woman was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence, according to Local 10, a local Miami news affiliate. 

Local 10 reported that police arrived on the scene after Loving and another woman got involved in a dispute with a neighbor, who called the second woman a “whore.”

Loving’s companion told police that she threw a plant in response and the neighbor allegedly retrieved a shotgun and threatened to shoot the women. 

A supplemental incident report said that Loving was “acting belligerent and would not obey commands,” Local 10 reported. The report names A.I. Giraldo as the officer who forced her to the ground. 

Loving told the news outlet that she called the police and expected them to get the neighbor’s “gun, arrest him, you know, for threatening us.”

“It completely went the opposite way,” Loving said.