A policeman in Florida, USA, Matthew McNichol, has been allowed to retire from his department over a shocking incident involving him and a pregnant black woman, Nerillia Laurent.
In a viral video, the policeman could be seen dragging Laurent out of her car and slamming her to the ground.
The incident happened in May when the police was called to a scene in Boca Raton in Florida by a witness who said that partners Harry Hardy and Nerillia Laurent had been arguing.
Body camera footage shows the officer, Matthew McNichol, confronting the couple and claiming Boca Raton was “his city”, before ordering Laurent to show her ID.
After ordering Nerillia Laurent out of the car, the cop grabs her by the arm and twists it behind her back.
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He then pulls her to the ground while she keeps screaming ‘I’m pregnant’ to which the cops says “I don’t care”.
Meanwhile, her partner Harry Hardy can be heard saying, “She’s six months pregnant, what is wrong with him?!” The incident happened while a child was in the car.
Laurent was later charged with resisting an officer without violence and served one day in jail, while her boyfriend faced arrest and pled not guilty.
Despite the clear evidence of excessive force, McNichol has been allowed to retire from the force — a decision which has only further fueled the anger of the community, who are demanding justice for Laurent and accountability for McNichol’s actions.
It was gathered that McNichol had a history of civilian complaints and was already under investigation at the time of this incident.
This raises concerns about the department’s failure to address previous misconduct and take appropriate action.
The fact that McNichol was allowed to retire before the investigation was completed only adds to the sense of injustice felt by the community.
Laurent herself has made a formal complaint and is calling for the results of the investigation to be released to the community.