A woman who backhanded a police officer in a viral video at a University of Miami football game could have her charges dropped if she writes a letter of apology to the officer in question, according to the Miami Herald.
Bridget Freitas, a 30-year-old nurse, has been charged with felony battery on a police officer and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct, NBC affiliate KARE11 reported.
Video shows cop punching a drunk Miami fan after she slaps him while carrying her out
pic.twitter.com/F6gJkUKtKr— Brandon Pope TV (@BpopeTV) November 5, 2017
In a viral clip of the incident, she appeared intoxicated. She slapped him in the head, and he retaliated by punching her in the head. Many criticized the officer for his response.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta has said that the department viewed the video to make sure the proper procedures were followed in the incident that took place at the Hard Rock Stadium, during Miami’s win Saturday over Virginia Tech.
Freitas faces charges of disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer. According to the Herald in a report earlier this month, they could be dropped if she writes a letter of apology to Miami-Dade police officer Douglas Ross and does 50 hours of community service work.
Our statement regarding the video of yesterday’s arrest during the @univmiami football game at @HardRockStadium. pic.twitter.com/JFsYmNc9k4
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) November 5, 2017
She also has to hand over $100 to cover the cost of prosecution, the paper reported.
Earlier, Freitas had been arguing with other fans and was “using profanity in a loud, boisterous manner” when officers arrived at the scene. Officers said they tried to calm her down and asked her to move to the concourse, but she refused and sat on the steps according to an arrest report obtained by KARE11.
Miami-Dade police said in a statement on Twitter that their “primary concern” was to promote a safe environment.
“Supervisory personnel are aware of the video and are reviewing the incident to ensure compliance with our policies and procedures” the statement continued.
A short 14-second video posted on Twitter shows four officers picking up Freitas to remove her from the area. She can be seen donning a green and orange Miami jersey.
Freitas flails her arms as the officers carry her, the footage shows her eyes were half closed. She then flails with her open hand at one officer who was carrying her right leg and misses, but then she hits him the in the face with her backhand slap.
The officer immediately reacts, hitting her forcefully on the side of her head with his right fist.
Freitas is slated to appear in court again on Dec. 21.
With reporting From NTD.
