Witnesses believe a Tempe police officer used excessive force in a situation posted to social media that appears to show a woman in handcuffs being dragged through the street.
"She's getting treated like dirt because she didn't know which way she was going," said Reese Williams, whose roommate took the video. You can watch the video in the player above.
The pair told ABC15 the officer had been directing traffic at 5th and Hardy as the nearby Tempe fireworks show was letting out. They said it appeared the driver mistakenly thought she was being waved through the intersection.
Williams said the officer started banging on the car, ordered the woman to roll down her window, then pulled the keys out of the ignition and handcuffed her. In the video, the officer is heard ordering the woman to stand as she yells for help.
"[The officer] should've probably just asked the woman to pull over to the side instead of snatching her out of the car," Williams said.
Friday morning, a Tempe police spokesperson said the officer thought the driver appeared unresponsive and possibly impaired, but after an investigation, the driver was not arrested and released at the scene.
Police are reviewing the incident.
