A 62-year-old woman caught on camera being body slammed to the ground by a Sweetwater police officer is on trial after prosecutors claim she broke the law.
Vivian Hernandez is facing three misdemeanor charges including disorderly conduct, trespass after warning and resisting arrest without violence.
Hernandez was offered a plea deal, but rejected it, and is now hoping to convince jurors in her trial that police were the aggressors.
The arrest happened in December 2024 at the administrative office of Li’l Abner, a mobile home park embroiled in a dispute over an eviction order for all residents.
Hernandez was one of thousands of mobile home park residents who were evicted, and their homes were demolished due to a redevelopment.
“There is an eviction of over 900 trailer homes. It’s actually the largest eviction in the history of Florida. 5,000 people,” David Winker, Hernandez’s attorney, told jurors.
Police claim Hernandez became angry while paying her rent and refused to leave the office, despite several requests by Sgt. Brian Arias.
Arias claimed he was outside, was called in, and encountered the chaos. When he told her to leave the office, Hernandez allegedly refused.
“Your characterization is you walked her out?” Winker asked.
“Attempted to walk her out,” Arias said. “She began to further fight and that’s when I had to take her to the ground.”
Hernandez plans to testify in her trial on Wednesday.