5 Months After Viral Arrest Video, Cop Fired

Christopher Meyer was caught on tape pointing a gun at couple who had their kids with them
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 23, 2019 3:33 PM CDT
Phoenix Cop in Viral Arrest Video Fired
In this June 18, 2019, file photo, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams addresses the audience at a community meeting in Phoenix.   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

On May 27, a Phoenix police officer was caught on video pointing a gun at a car holding a man, his pregnant fiancee, and their two children, yelling, "You're going to get f---ing shot" and "I'm going to put a cap in your ass." Nearly five months later, he will be fired, the Arizona Republic reports. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said Tuesday that the decision to terminate Christopher Meyer, who has been with the department since 1995, "was difficult," but that ultimately, the 240-hour unpaid suspension the department's Disciplinary Review Board recommended was not enough. Meyer can appeal Williams' decision. A second officer involved in the stop will receive a written reprimand. The incident started after someone anonymously called police to report that the 4-year-old daughter of Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper had stolen a doll from a Family Dollar, which the couple says was an accident they did not notice.

The couple had already left the store and was dropping their daughter off at a babysitter's apartment when officers, who allegedly didn't use lights or sirens, approached their car "banging on the window with a gun, saying he's gonna shoot us in the face," according to Ames. Videos show Ames being pulled out of the car and then lying on the pavement to be handcuffed; Ames is later seen being pressed against a police car, handcuffed, as an officer kicks out one of his legs with so much force that Ames "collapsed," per a lawsuit the family has filed against the city. The lawsuit also accuses the officer of punching Ames in the back "for no reason," and says the couple's 1-year-old daughter was hurt when an officer tried to grab her from Harper; Harper can be seen on the video refusing to put the baby on the hot pavement when an officer orders her to. Police had said Ames refused to comply with commands, CBS News reports. Neither Ames nor Harper was ultimately charged with anything. (More on the story here and here.)

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