Miami fan charged with battery on police officer
A 30-year-old woman has been charged with battery on a police officer following an incident at Saturday night’s Miami game against Virginia Tech that was captured on cell phone video.
According to the Associated Press, Bridget Freitas is facing a felony battery charge along with a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge stemming from the incident at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The video shows her slapping an officer in the face while being escorted out of the stadium. The officer than responds with a punch.
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Police say Freitas was arguing with fans and causing a disturbance. From the AP:
According to the arrest report, Freitas had been arguing with other fans and was “using profanity in a loud, boisterous manner” when officers arrived. They say they tried to calm her down and asked her to move to the concourse, but she refused and sat on the steps.
In the 14-second video posted on Twitter, four uniformed officers pick up Freitas, who was wearing a green and orange Miami jersey. Three carry her up the steps, with one officer hoisting her torso with his arms under her shoulders and the other two carrying her legs.
With her eyes half-closed, Freitas flails with her open hand at Detective Douglas Ross, who is carrying her right leg. She misses the back of his head, but nails him in the face with her backhand. Ross immediately reacts, hitting her in the head with his right fist, causing her to crumble in the officers’ arms as she is carried out of view of the camera.
Miami-Dade Police told the AP it was reviewing the video to make sure “proper procedures were used” when the incident occurred.
