OFFICER: “YOU ARE IN MY CITY. THE CITY OF BOCA RATON.”
UNDER INVESTIGATION. DID OFFICER GO TOO FAR? BODY CAM VIDEO RELEASED.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton police officer physically pulled a pregnant woman from her vehicle in the 8000 block of Congress Avenue, while she screamed that she’s pregnant but refused to provide the officer with her license. The video, which you can see below — and the entire incident — is now under review by the Boca Raton Police Department’s internal affairs unit.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on May 22, 2023, after police say a 911 caller told them a domestic dispute was underway in the driveway of a gas station. BocaNewsNow.com has requested the audio of the 911 call. We will publish it once it is received.
The video raises several questions, including why the woman — and eventually the man — being questioned by police didn’t comply with the demand to provide identification. But also at issue: why the officer wearing the body cam was arguably exceptionally aggressive from the moment he arrived on the scene. He demanded compliance, and told the people involved that they were in “My City, The City of Boca Raton.” Making matters more optically challenged, the officer is white. The defendants are black.
BocaNewsNow.com obtained the police report filed in the arrest of the woman seen, above. She was charged with resisting an officer. She plead guilty the same day, was immediately sentenced to one day in jail, and later released. It’s unclear why the wheels of justice spun so quickly in this case. Traditionally, a month elapses between an arrest for resisting and the time the case makes it to a judge.
Police Chief Michele Miuccio issued this statement via social media: “There is understandable public concern about the May 22 arrest of a woman after we were called to a domestic disturbance alleged to be taking place in and around a car on Congress Avenue. While the responding officers had a duty to identify the people involved and investigate if a crime took place or anyone was at risk, one of our officer’s actions did not help to de-escalate the situation.
I take our commitment to professional police service seriously and hold that expectation for all of our personnel in all interactions with the community we serve. An internal affairs investigation has been initiated into the officer’s conduct and it will be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed based on the outcome of that investigation. I am committed to maintaining trust and transparency with the community of Boca Raton.”
As seen in the video, above, the subjects did not comply with the request from an officer to provide identification. When the woman was taken into custody, the male subject in the car left the vehicle, but not the scene. He was also charged with resisting without violence. Whether the officer physically controlling the woman went too far — leading the male to fear for his safety — is a focus of the internal affairs investigation. It was unclear if the two defendants have obtained legal counsel. All officers involved, according to the Boca Raton Police Department, remain on active duty.
Andrew Colton is host of South Florida’s First News, weekdays from 6-10 a.m., on NewsRadio 610 WIOD. Simulcast on 105.9HD2 and live in the iHeart Radio App.
