A DeKalb County, Georgia, police officer is the subject of an internal investigation after a video showed him beating a homeless Black woman at a convenience store. Katie McCrary was at a Chevron gas station located in Decatur, Georgia, asking customers for money and the store owner reportedly called the police to have the woman removed from the premises for being a nuisance.
The responding officer, whose name has not been released, was caught on cellphone footage viciously beating McCrary with a metal baton. McCrary is heard to say during the beating “What did I do?” as the officer repeatedly rains down blows on the unarmed woman who was on the floor raising her hands in defense. Customers who witnessed the officer beating McCrary expressed outrage over the incident. An official report from the Dekalb County Police reads as follows:
“Upon the officer’s arrival, the female, identified as Katie McCrary, attempted to push the officer out of the way. The officer stopped her at the door and asked her to step back. Words were exchanged between the officer and McCrary with McCrary subsequently assaulting the officer. She continued to aggressively resist the officer’s commands, resulting in the deployment of the officer’s baton. The officer was eventually able to restrain and handcuff McCrary. EMS responded to the scene to check McCrary. She was transported to the DeKalb County Jail and later to Grady Hospital. The officer filed a Use of Force Report on the incident.”
McCrary was charged with obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers. She was also served a criminal trespass warning at the request of the convenience store manager.
The incident occurred in June 2017 and the officer involved was cleared of any wrongdoing at the time. However, cellphone footage of the brutal attack was posted recently online and has since gone viral. As a result, the DeKalb County Police Department has started an internal investigation over the incident. Police officials have stated they will not respond to any media requests while the investigation is ongoing. The brutal attack can be viewed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4CgEdA4-3Q
