Video shows cheerleader shoved to the ground by police

On July 19, Eryn Bonner, a senior at Arizona State University (ASU), was filmed being violently arrested by Tempe police in Tempe, Arizona. The video shows Bonner approaching officers who were arresting another individual; she is then shoved to the ground and pummeled by an officer before being handcuffed. Police claim Bonner punched an officer multiple times, while her attorney, Benjamin Taylor, argues that this was unnecessary force and that she did not resist arrest. Bonner faces two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and hindering police but has pleaded not guilty. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to press felony charges initially filed against her. An internal investigation by the Tempe Police Department is currently underway, though there are concerns about potential bias given that one investigating officer was previously suspended in a use-of-force case.