Moment Arizona cops shove a college cheerleader to the ground to arrest her

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A viral video has shown the moment cops in Arizona shoved a college cheerleader to the ground to arrest her.

Eryn Bonner, a 21-year-old senior at Arizona State University, was taken into custody in July and now faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and hindering or interfering with police over the incident. Bonner’s lawyer, Benjamin Taylor, told The Independent that she pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges.

In surveillance video taken outside a bar, Bonner can be seen approaching a group of officers who were restraining two men who had been in a confrontation on a sidewalk in Tempe in the early morning hours of July 19.

In another clip from body camera footage that officials released, Bonner can be heard pleading with the cops, “Let him go. Bro, he didn’t do s***.” The officer repeatedly told Bonner to “back up.”

Officers initially pulled Bonner away, but when she went up to them again, one of the officers shoved her to the ground, according to the video. Bonner got up and approached the officer.

A struggle between her and the officer ensued, during which Bonner was pushed onto a police bike on the street, the video showed. She was seen throwing her arms and kicking her feet as the officer restrained her on the ground.

Taylor has accused the officers of using excessive force and pointed out that the officer who restrained her was also seen putting his hand on Bonner’s butt during the struggle.

“This officer just went berserk, got upset, and just started pushing her and pushing her twice and punching her in the face and then groping her. They could have easily prevented this by just going up to them and having a conversation,” Taylor told The Independent.

Taylor explained that the man Bonner was asking the cops to let go of in the video was her boyfriend and the other guy being arrested was their friend.

When asked why Bonner didn’t remove herself from the situation when the officer told her to “back up,” Taylor said, “As a female and all the incidents where people have died at the hands of the police, she's being traumatized. She's scared. She just wants to be sure that nothing happens to her friends.”

Tempe Police said in a statement released July 21 that it has opened a review of the incident “to determine whether the officer’s actions were consistent with Tempe Police Department policy, training, and our core values of Professionalism, Excellence, and Compassion.”

“If our investigation determines that department policy was violated, we will take appropriate action. We ask for patience as we complete a comprehensive review rather than relying on a single video clip or initial impressions,” the department added.

In a follow-up statement released on August 5 in response to the groping allegation, the department said it “takes every allegation of officer misconduct seriously because maintaining the trust of our community depends on our willingness to thoroughly and objectively examine concerns when they are raised.”

The misdemeanor charges were filed against Bonner after the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined felony charges, ABC 15 reported in early August.

Taylor said he’s calling the new charges against Bonner a “political prosecution because of the fact that they're trying to avoid any sort of civil liability against their officers.”

“We're planning to seek justice for Eryn Bonner through all avenues possible,” Taylor added.

Taylor does not think Tempe Police will conduct a fair internal investigation.

“The city of Tempe has already shown their colors,” Taylor said, calling for an independent agency to conduct the probe.