FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Flagstaff chief of police said Thursday he is taking the video showing an officer punching a woman in the face “very seriously.”
The department placed the officer on leave and began an internal investigation after the video surfaced on social media Wednesday night.
Chief Kevin Treadway said he is “as concerned with what is depicted in the video” as many others are, perhaps none more so than Marissa Morris, the suspect and victim in this investigation.
“Aggressive. Rude. Totally and completely disrespectful. No regard for another human," said Morris, describing the officers behavior and what those moments now mean to her.
Treadway said he asked the Northern Arizona University Police Department to conduct a separate criminal investigation into the incident.
"I have heard your concerns and the department is taking this incident very seriously," he said.
A neighbor who witnessed the scuffle said she wished Morris would have let the officer arrest her to avoid the altercation all together.
“Dragging your feet and flinging your arms—that’s what I saw," said Loretta Lee. "[It] took three [officers] to get her to the car. Now if that’s not resisting arrest, I don’t know what is.”
Chief Treadway identified Jeff Bonar as the officer involved in the video. He has been with the department for less than three years.
Officer Bonar responded to a call on Wednesday on the east side of Flagstaff which was a request from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office which had deputies serving an eviction notice.
It was during that time, the officer stated he recognized Morris and thought she had warrants for a DUI and resisting arrest.
Chief Treadway said officer Bonar worked on a case involving Morris on Oct. 18 and at that time, she had two valid warrants on her record.
"When (Officer Bonar) saw (Morris) again yesterday, he was thinking the warrants were still in place," Treadway said. "(Officer Bonar) was initiating a detention in order to determine if, in fact the warrants were still valid."
It was later determined that the warrants had already been served, Treadway said.
In the cellphone footage captured by an onlooker, Morris can be heard yelling repeatedly that she didn't have any warrants as officer Bonar instructs her to stop resisting.
Bonar then punched Morris in the face.
After the incident, Morris was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest and made her initial appearance on Thursday morning.
Officer Bonar claims he was kicked and kneed in the groin prior to punching Morris and was also suffering from an upper respiratory ailment at the time.
Morris denies those claims.
“I did no such thing," she said. "I did not kick him. I did not put my hands on him in any harmful way. I just tried to protect myself," adding she tried to explain to the officer that she knew she did not have a warrant for her arrest.
Morris said she talked to a pretrial probation officer 20 minutes prior to the incident. She said she is 100 percent sure she did not have a warrant.
Chief Treadway said the department owes everyone a "full and complete" investigation and asked for patience from the community as investigators work to gather more information.
He announced the department is setting up a website where all videos and documents pertaining to the case will be uploaded for the public to view. It's a push for complete transparency.
"We value the public trust our community has in our department," Treadway said. "And it is my sincere hope that this process will retain the confidence of our community."
