Atlanta Officers Fired For Excessive Force Sue To Get Jobs Back

TOPLINE

Two Atlanta police officers who were fired and now face criminal charges after video showed them violently yanking two college students out of a car during protests in the city are now suing to get their jobs back, claiming they were denied due process.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

Tensions were high in Atlanta and cities across the country on May 30, with protests against the police brutality seen in the death of George Floyd giving way to rioting and looting at night. But the couple that were stopped and yanked out of the car didn’t seem to be adding to any of the unrest. The female student was released from custody without charges, while the male was booked for attempting to elude officers—a charge Bottoms ordered to be dropped.

Shields said she expected the review of body camera footage would exonerate the officers, but it instead led to their firing and subsequent charges by the Fulton County District Attorney for their excessive use of force. The DA also brought charges against four other officers that were at the scene, a move Shields called “political jockeying” in an email to employees, while saying that the two fired officers are “good people and good cops.” In a statement to Forbes, the DA denied there was any sort of political motivation behind the decision to bring charges.

TANGENT

Protests have largely been peaceful over the past few days, despite earlier unrest, which was so great that on June 1 President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act that would allow him to deploy the U.S. military to cities where he felt local authorities weren’t doing enough to quell rioting. The president’s threat was met with sharp criticism and thus far has not been put into action.

FURTHER READING

Report: Officers Who Yanked Atlanta Couple From Car Are ‘Good Cops,’ Police Chief Says (Forbes)

Atlanta Mayor Fires 2 Officers Who Tased Man In ‘Shocking’ Video (Forbes)