NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An upstate New York police officer who punched a handcuffed woman in the face after she tried to bite him during an arrest on the Fourth of July has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to reports.
DeWitt police officer Rory Spain and another officer responding to a 911 call arrested Tyreana Edmonds and her sister Tajenik Byrd inside a Walmart in East Syracuse after Byrd allegedly pepper-sprayed another woman during a fight, Syracuse.com reported.
Surveillance, body camera and bystander footage released by the DeWitt Police Department shows Spain and the other officer struggling with the two woman as they resisted being handcuffed inside the store.
As Spain attempts to drag Edmonds out of the store, Edmonds tries to bite him, at which point he punches her in the face, video taken by a bystander shows.
Related
Spain has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, department spokesman Lt. Jerry Pace told the outlet.