Video from last week shows two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers brutalizing a local musician, who repeatedly said she was not resisting arrest, after claiming they smelled marijuana.
Now, the video has been going viral on social media over the weekend and local activist groups are calling for accountability for the officers involved.
The footage shows 26-year-old musician Chanel Bates screaming for help as two IMPD officers arrested her last Saturday.
“This incident literally was less than four minutes, it was less than four minutes,” Bates said.
“It happened that quick.”
Two officers on foot patrol claimed to smell marijuana coming from Bates’ car then approached her vehicle and instructed her three passengers to exit the vehicle.
Two passengers complied.
Bates remained in the car.
“I said, ‘I’m going to let you know right now, for my safety and for your safety, I’m about to record this,” Bates said to an officer.
“As soon as I reach for my phone, he slaps it out of my hand. He breaks my phone. The [other] officer to the right of me reaches in on the passenger side… turns my car off and snatches the key out the ignition. The officer on the driver side — because the windows are all the way down — reaches inside, from the outside, yanks open my door and takes my left arm and pulls me directly out of my car and directly on the ground.”
Video footage shows about two minutes of the encounter.
Bates can be heard in the beginning of the video yelling out to the officers.
“I’m not refusing, please stop. Please stop, I’m a girl.“
“Help me, please. I’m not refusing.“
“I can’t breathe, help me.“
One of the officers who pins Bates to the ground tells her she’s fine.
“You’re breathing just fine.”
“Shut up,” the officer says.
“I wasn’t prepared for this to happen.” Bates told the Indy Channel.
“You knew you were wrong. Why are three grown men on top of me and telling bystanders to stop recording?” she asked.
Bates currently faces two charges of possession of marijuana and resting law enforcement.
A peaceful rally has has been planned to protest Bates’ arrest on Thursday.
