On Thursday, the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office said that it would not charge officer Jorge Carrasco for punching a passenger in the face at an airport. The reason was because they had “no evidence of criminality”. This decision comes after public outrage over video footage which showed Carrasco repeatedly punch Alejandro Bolivar during his encounter with him
A Miami-Dade police officer who punched a passenger in the face at Miami International Airport won’t be charged.
Officer Will Not Be Charged With Punching Passenger In The Face At Miami Airport
on December 22, 2021 by Gary Leff
A black lady at the Miami airport screamed at an official with a Hispanic surname a year and a half ago that he was actually black. She may have been inebriated when she shouted at him.
Antonio Rodriguez, the police, “snaps and strikes the lady in the face.” Officers in the background scream ‘Woah, woah’ as he puts his hands on her and drags her to the ground.” He then claimed “she headbutted me,” which the footage clearly refutes.
@MiamiDadePD policeman attacks lady at Miami International Airport @iflymia #BREAKING: @MiamiDadePD cop hits woman at Miami International Airport @iflymia pic.twitter.com/KnAVipZKtb #BecauseMiami
July 2, 2020 — Billy Corben (@BillyCorben)
After the event, the State’s Attorney – who, I observed at the time, had never prosecuted an officer for an on-duty fatal shot in 27 years – had to decide whether to prosecute the cop for assault, so I told him, “good luck with that.”
In defending the officer, the police union president said that the passenger was at fault and deserved the beating since (1) she was ordered to leave and (2) she assaulted his fist with her face, “pushing[ing] her face directly into his face.”
She was charged with criminal battery of a law enforcement officer at first, but the charges were dismissed. The claim was completely unfounded, as shown by publicly accessible footage. Officers who supported the accusation should have been reprimanded as a result of their actions.
Of course, the passenger isn’t innocent in this situation for inciting a fight. The issue is that police officers are sometimes given a pass because they do potentially risky duties, rather than being held to a higher standard since they are entrusted with the authority of the law (‘with great power comes great responsibility’). Immunity that is qualified is a concern. Contracts that delete disciplinary records on renewal, as well as processes that keep disciplinary records hidden from defense counsel, are both problematic.
Nobody should be shocked that the State’s Attorney refused to charge the cop, claiming that he wasn’t compelled to flee from the situation and may have felt he was in danger despite the fact that the video indicates no realistic physical threat. Slapping her looked to be more of a retaliation for her rudeness than a threat.
We ask a lot of questions of police officers, but that’s to be expected. They carry weapons in the United States, and we just witnessed one pulled at the Miami airport. When a cop fabricates allegations against someone they struck first in order to excuse their own misbehavior, we should demand restraint and de-escalation – and, at the very least, responsibility.
(Image courtesy of @crucker)
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The “officer pupo miami to catch a smuggler” is an officer who punched a passenger in the face at Miami Airport. The incident was caught on camera and sparked outrage, but the officer won’t be charged.
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