As many as 15 suspects who allegedly robbed a San Jose Macy's on Saturday are at large, and video has circulated of officers violently throwing a woman to the ground whom police allege interfered with an arrest.
Approximately 15 men and women attempted to steal merchandise before fleeing the Oakridge Mall department store, San Jose police said in a press release on Sunday. It's unclear how much merchandise was stolen, but police said they recovered at least $1,000 in merchandise.
While officers handcuffed a person allegedly involved in the "felony" "strong-armed" robbery, which police said included some suspects physically assaulting an unidentified Macy’s employee who sustained "moderate" injuries. Officials said 43-year-old Abeer Hamed approached the officers and the employee at a "very close distance."
KNTV obtained cell phone footage of the incident, which showed Hamed approaching the area where the arrest occurred. Officers told her "to remain a safe distance away and not to interfere with the arrest," and one officer tried to push her away.
In the footage, Hamed swung her right arm away as an officer reached his arm towards her. The officer then forcefully threw her to the ground and arrested her. As she was arrested, police said the initial suspect fled and they’ve not yet been located.
Hamed told KNTV she was a shopper who was uninvolved in the robbery, but concerned about how "rough" they were treating the suspect. The act of swinging her arm when the officer reached out to her was “a reflex.”
"I felt I’m worthless from being treated this way from a cop, who are supposed to be the protector of us," she told the outlet.
Some witnesses told the station that they were in "disbelief" as they thought police "went too far."
Police alleged in the press release that Hamed was "interfering" or "delaying" the officer and “physically resisted by swinging her arm at the officer.”
She was arrested for resisting arrest by delaying an officer in the scope of his duties, assault on a police officer, and assisting the escape of a person in lawful custody of an officer.
Hamed said she will be hiring an attorney and will be filing a formal complaint against the police.
San Jose Police Sgt. Christian Camarillo told KCBS Radio that Hamed is welcome to file the complaint, which the department will investigate fully.
Camarillo said it was “not a good decision for this person to exert themselves into this arrest situation.”
"This officer doesn’t know who this person was that got within inches of this officer," Camarillo said, arguing footage showed Hamed "taking a swing" at the officer. "Not only that, it’s a dangerous situation, not only for the Macy’s employee, but for our officer as well as (Hamed)."
When asked why the officer left the person in custody in order to apprehend Hamed, Camarillo said he didn’t want to speak for the officer.
"It's dangerous when you’re taking one person into custody and another person approaches and tries to intervene," he told KCBS Radio, adding Hamed's presence "was enough that it distracted him" and allowed the suspect to flee.
An investigation into the robbery is ongoing, police said in the release. Detectives "will be following up on leads to identify the groups of suspects involved," none of whom have been caught nor publicly identified.
Anybody with information is asked to submit anonymous crime tips by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at 408-947-STOP or visiting this website.
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