JACKSONVILLE, FLA. (WSVN) — A family is left shaken up after a mother was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office while picking up her daughter from school.
Police body camera video shows the JSO officer approaching Erika McGriff as she was leaving her daughter’s school on the afternoon of Oct. 7.
Authorities say McGriff left her car running in an intersection and when confronted by police, she hit the officer, also biting and punching him.
McGriff can be seen being pushed against a vehicle and placed into custody.
McGriff now faces charges for battery on an officer, resisting with violence and driving on a suspended license.
Criminal defense attorney Chris Carson says based on the video it’s unclear if the officer was justified in using escalating force when making the arrest.
“However, based on the footage of what we’ve seen so far, I think it’s kind of hard to tell exactly whether that force was warranted and exactly what resulted in the escalation because there’s a gap in the video and, really, until the entirety of the video is out there or until we have more information, it’s probably gonna be hard to say,” said Carson.
Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels are now representing McGriff, arguing the officer went too far during the arrest.
They say this wasn’t only a case of excessive force, but a traumatic experience for her daughter.
A statement from Crump reads:
“This disturbing video shows yet another example of unnecessary and excessive force used against a Black woman during what should have been a routine encounter. No mother should be brutalized in front of her child and community for something as minor as a parking issue.”
Crump also referenced another recent arrest made by JSO, involving William McNeil Jr., a Black college student, as part of an alleged pattern of police aggression involving Jacksonville’s police officers.
Sheriff T.K. Waters disputed the claim, saying when his officer attempted to talk to McGriff, she escalated to physical violence.
“If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them, you will be arrested,” said Waters.
Ultimately, Carson says they intend to push for a thorough review over whether the officer’s actions during McGriff’s arrest were justified.
McGriff’s attorneys are also calling for authorities to release the unedited body camera footage.
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