Jaywalking ASU Professor Ersula Ore Forcibly Arrested. Violent Dashcam Video Goes Viral!
A dashcam video showing the violent arrest of an Arizona State University professor for jaywalking has gone viral. And for good reason. In the video, the woman — now identified as Ersula Ore — is seen being forcefully thrown to the ground by an Arizona State University Police Department officer who is attempting to arrest her. The incident happened in the month of May but is only gaining media attention now, after the video footage went viral.
According to the New York Daily News, Ersula Ore was stopped and detained by the cop after she was caught walking down the middle of a street. Ersula claims she was forced to walk through the street due to an ongoing construction activity nearby. When asked to provide an ID before she is arrested, Ersula seems surprised and questions the police officer for his rudeness and resists arrest. The video also shows that the officer did not fully listen to what Ersula had to say. The matter quickly escalates and the police officer is seen using extreme force on Ersula. The footage shows Ersula being thrown to the ground and forcefully handcuffed.
In the verbal exchange between the two before it got physical, the officer, now identified as Stewart Ferrin is heard saying this:
“Let me see your ID or you will be arrested for failing to provide ID.”
To this, Ersula replies to him by saying that she has no issues abiding by the law but demands the officer to speak to her in a more respectful manner.
The man however doesn’t seem to be in the mood to listen to her and goes ahead in order to handcuff her. This is resisted by Ersula, after which things went violent. The next moment, Ersula is seen pinned to the ground after which the officer and a colleague use brute force to arrest her. While getting up handcuffed, the video also shows Ore kicking the officer in the shin. According to Ersula’s lawyer, Alane M. Roby, the force of the slam caused Ersula’s dress to ride up and resulting in her “exposing her anatomy to all onlookers.”
“She was exposed and told the officer she was exposed. Her dress was up; the officer was reaching toward her anatomy. She felt uncomfortable with hands going there,” Roby told 3TV
After her arrest, Ersula Ore was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, refusing to provide identification when requested to do so by an officer, and obstructing a highway or public thoroughfare, according to CNN.
Meanwhile the ASU has officially released a statement on their Facebook page that seems to be in favor of the officers.
It says:
“ASU authorities have reviewed the circumstances surrounding the arrest and have found no evidence of inappropriate actions by the ASUPD officers involved. Because the underlying criminal charges are pending, there is not much more we can say at this time.”
According to the ASU website, Professor Ersula Ore is an English professor whose research interests include cultural studies.The matter is now up for preliminary hearing on Thursday, July 3.
After watching the video, who do you think is at fault here? Ersula Ore or the police officer? Is this yet another case of police authorities making frivolous arrests?
[Image via YouTube]
