Miami Police Officer Relieved Of Duty Based On Social Media Video

MIAMI, FL — Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said Thursday he relieved one of his officers of duty after video of an arrest was posted on social media. The chief did not comment on the specific details of the video but said that he turned it over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.

"On today’s date, the city of Miami Police Department received a video on an incident involving one of my officers," the chief said in a statement. "The video depicts a clear violation of policy. The officer has been relieved of duty and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office has been contacted."

The officer was not immediately identified.

After watching the video, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told Patch that she assigned Assistant State Attorney Johnette Hardiman of the Public Corruption Unit to open an investigation

"I have watched today’s Culmer Place video involving a uniformed city of Miami Police Officer and I was shocked and appalled by what I saw," Fernandez Rundle said in a statement.

Lisa Harrell posted video of the arrest on Facebook Thursday morning. It had been viewed nearly 60,000 times by Thursday afternoon.

Harrell told Patch that she shot the footage outside the Culmer Place apartments on 8 Street and 7 Avenue at approximately 9:40 a.m.

"The guy was running back-and-forth I guess trying to get away from the police," she explained. "And, when he came face to face with the police, put his hands on his head. He got on his knees. Police tell him to lay down and from the rest of the video that's what you see."

The video shows a total of five officers participating in what appears to be an arrest. One officer can be seen placing handcuffs on a man who is laying face down in a grassy area behind some homes. A second officer can be seen jumping over the man and abruptly placing his upper body over the man's head.

A woman can be heard in the video telling the officer: "You didn't have to do all that buddy. You tripping."

Photo of Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina by Paul Scicchitano