DC Cop Assaults Young Woman; Investigators Shrug

It's a scene that's all too common in the U.S. anymore: act in any way defiant in the presence of law enforcement, or merely question a police officer's "authority" and, whether that authority's legitimate or not, you can expect to be assaulted, arrested and charged with some catch-all crime like disorderly contact.

That's certainly what happened to one young woman who, after perhaps one too many drinks, dared defy a cop's demand that she leave the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro station in Washington, DC. In a video now viewed more than 69,000 times, a uniformed thug -- a Washington Metro Transit Police Officer, or do I repeat myself? -- can be seen chasing after a woman in her early 20s, tackling her to the ground, and then laying on top of her for minute after excruciating minute as he grinds his crotch into her back, hikes up her skirt and pulls her hair.

But while a mere civilian bound by laws and rules and without the immunity implied from wearing a shiny badge might've been charged with sexual assault, an "investigation" by Metro Transit Police has already "determined that the officer acted lawfully and complied with departmental policies and procedures," reports the blog Unsuck DC Metro. The woman, meanwhile, is awaiting a trial on disorderly conduct and unlawful entry.

The September 16th incident, which occurred at roughly 11:30 pm (when sobriety is the exception on DC public transit, not the norm), all began when the police officer insisted that the taxpayer-funded metro stop he was bravely protecting against inebriated young girls was, in fact, "my station," and that the woman who was trying to enter must "leave."

"It's your fucking station?" she responds, before immediately complying and turning to leave. But as she is walking out of the station, the officer -- who we can only assume is supremely self-confident and not at all suffering from perceived emotional or physical inadequacies -- violently takes her to the ground ... and then kind of just lies there. On top of her, seeming to enjoy himself as he grinds his crotch into her backside.

"Stop resisting!" the cop repeatedly yells as the woman lies prostrate on the ground, screaming, but not doing much in the way of actually resisting. This goes on for several minutes -- the officer seems to be taking his good 'ol time subduing a 120 pound girl -- as onlookers beg him to stop, and as one man begins heckling: "Serve and protect! Yeah!"

Check out the video yourself:

As a commenter on the watchdog website Cop Block writes:

What I see here is a man with a badge, who jumps on the back of a female without ever saying she’s under arrest, as he pulls up her skirt multiple times and puts his crotch against hers, holds her there for about 2 minutes while she’s screaming over and over, “Stop! What are you doing? No! Leave me alone!” Meanwhile, he is trying to pin her arms behind her and handcuff her, getting his kicks saying “stop resisting,” over and over, despite the fact that she is just laying there, offering no real resistance. That sounds a lot like sexual assault or molestation. There was some hair pulling and wrapping it in the handcuffs too, which begin to give it the appearance of an S&M porn scene, except of course, this young lady is by no means consenting to the brutal treatment she received.

A petition started by writer and activist Mandy Van Deven calling on the Washington Metro Transit Authority to reopen an investigation into the use of excessive force has attracted more than 230 signatures. If you think police should be held to the same standards of conduct as anyone else, then add yours today.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Murphy