Police followed up on a promise Monday to the family of a 15-year-old girl whose March 15 arrest was captured on a viral video.
The girl had been arrested outside Buffalo Wild Wings on Church Street after a fight that took place inside the restaurant. Police subsequently launched an investigation into the officer’s decision to use a leg “sweep” maneuver that slammed the handcuffed girl to the ground; the investigation Friday cleared the officer of wrongdoing after a week of protests.
Meanwhile, Chief Dean Esserman met with the girl’s mother, who complained that she had been telling police for months that an 18-year-old woman had been threatening her daughter. She said the woman had attacked her inside Buffalo Wild Wings, then escaped without arrest. The chief promised his officers would look into the matter.
Monday morning, detectives arrested the 18-year-old woman on a warrant. The woman was at the state court on Elm Street to answer a felony charge of carrying a dangerous weapon, in an incident unrelated to this case. The woman also has breach of peace and failure to appear charges pending from another case, dating to February. She turned 18 last fall.
In the case involving the 15-year-old at Buffalo Wild Wings, the woman was charged with risk of injury to a minor, third-degree assault, and second-degree breach of peace, according to police. The investigation is continuing; police anticipate other possible arrests in connection with the March 15 attack, as well as possible other charges against the 18-year-old woman for other incidents. The feud apparently began last summer after the 15-year-old and a friend were attacked near Roberto Clemente School and a cellphone was taken.
The 15-year-old girl’s mother, Valerie Boyd, Monday thanked police for working hard on the case.
“My nightmare is over,” Boyd said. “[Esserman] kept his promise — that he would make sure she was off the street. I’m very appreciative of it.”
Read previous coverage:
• Video Captures Cop Slamming Girl To Ground
• This Time, Cop Kept On Streets During IA Probe
• Anybody Home?
• “I’m Sorry For What Happened”
• Harp Explains Decision; Cops Plan Protest Rally
• Cop In Video Has Clean Record
• Officer Cleared; Protesters Crash Cops’ Protest
• Support? Unaccountability?
Why is the name of "the woman" not being disclosed, when the name of the 15-year old girl was given out weeks ago?
[Aliyya: Generally, NHI policy is to exclude the names of those arrested and charged with a crime unless they are public figures or have offered to share their side of the story. We have not reported the name of the 15-year-old girl either.]