A police officer in Colorado lost his job after a video showed him punching a woman who was already handcuffed.
The officer, Russell Maranto, who is 28 years old, hit Angelia Hall, a 59-year-old woman, right in the face while she was being held at a hospital emergency room. The incident was captured on camera.
In the video, you can hear Hall getting more and more frustrated and angry as she sits in a chair for examination. She uses bad words and yells at the officers and nurses who were there. However, things took a turn for the worse when she spat at Maranto. He immediately reacted by punching her.
Another officer who was in the room saw what happened and quickly pulled Maranto away from Hall to stop the altercation. After the punch, Hall demanded to see the video of the incident. She was even more upset because she couldn’t defend herself with her hands being handcuffed behind her back.
Loveland Police Chief Tim Doran made a statement on Friday explaining why he fired the officer. He said that the officer’s use of force was unnecessary. Chief Doran shared the video to be open and honest about what happened and to ensure that both his team and citizens who break the law are held accountable for their actions.
The chief asked the public to watch the full 90-minute video from the officer’s body camera. He emphasized the importance of seeing the whole incident to get a complete understanding of what occurred.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident. However, the district attorney’s office has not yet decided to press criminal charges against Maranto.
The chief took quick action and fired Maranto from the Loveland Police Department just three days after the incident, which happened on May 20.
Initially, the officers were called because Hall was walking in and out of traffic and behaving in a confused and unclear manner. They put her in custody to protect her and took her to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Hall has also been charged with third-degree assault for her actions towards the officer who has now been fired.
