Officers involved in Wildwood beach arrest won't face criminal charges
The New Jersey police officer seen on video repeatedly punching a 20-year-old woman on the beach over Memorial Day weekend will not face criminal charges, authorities said Tuesday.
On May 26, cellphone video captured a Wildwood officer punching Philadelphia resident Emily Weinman multiple times as several witnesses looked on.
The officer had been questioning Weinman about her age because she and others in her group were allegedly in possession of opened containers of alcohol, according to the officer's bodycam footage. Drinking alcohol is illegal on New Jersey beaches.
After Weinman was administered a breathalyzer test, she refused to give her last name to the officer after he asked her several times, the footage shows. She then attempted to walk away as he tried to cuff her.
Police said Weinman "forcibly struck" the officer, causing the body camera footage to shut off. It turned back on as the officer wrestled Weinman on the sand.
Weinman can he heard telling the officer to "get the f--- off," prompting him to respond, "That's it," and began hitting her.
The cellphone video was taken by Alexis Hewitt, who was sleeping on a towel next to Weinman when the commotion began. She began recording the encounter and posted it to Twitter.
The part-time summer officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative duty during the investigation. Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto warned the public against rushing to judgment.
"I clearly think it's something we need to work on, but, again, you have to see the entire video," Regalbuto said.
The body camera footage was not immediately released because the department needed to redact the faces of witnesses not involved in the encounter, police said.
After the incident, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation to determine whether the arresting officers used excessive force when taking Weinman into custody. The prosecutor's office determined that there was not enough evidence to warrant criminal charges.
"A decision such as this is not based on emotion; it is based upon applying the proper laws, policies and directives that govern law enforcement," Cape May prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said in a statement. "Members of the public should understand that no matter what your opinion is regarding the subject event, it is not based on a full review of the evidence."
Last week, Weinman's attorney, Stephen Dicht, described the incident as an "overreaction" on behalf of the officers.
"They asked her to give a breathalyzer, she did it not once, but twice," Dicht told ABC Philadelphia station WPVI. "She was very cooperative, but for whatever reason, the police didn't stop there."
Weinman suffered injuries to her neck, head and back as a result of the incident and has suffered from depression ever since, Dicht told WPVI.
She faces charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault by spitting bodily fluids at/on a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction and possession of alcohol by a minor.
