BRUNSWICK, GA – Glynn County Police officer Kevin Jones‘ tactics were vindicated by the Chief of Police after he was caught on camera smashing a 70-year-old woman’s face into the pavement.
Chief Matt Doering ruled that Jones acted reasonably in throwing the woman to the ground while detaining her for allegedly drunk driving. Officer Jones is shown in the video attempting to restrain Kathleen Mary Allegrone for her offense. While attempting to handcuff her, Jones is then spotted spinning Allegrone around and dropping her to the pavement face-first.
Jones was being detained after she allegedly ran into the rear of a vehicle at an intersection.
Doering said in a written report released Saturday that his investigation looked at all the evidence available to him to decide if Jones’ action was justified and if he acted appropriately in his use of force. What Doering said he found were several points not shown in the online video that has been viewed nearly 200,000 times since it was posted Tuesday. “The totality of circumstances is not typically afforded from the mere viewing of a video or from the individual perspective of a witness,” Doering wrote. “Camera angle, clarity, quality and point of view of witnesses does not lend the opportunity for a fully informed judgment as to the actions of an officer or others. I have thoroughly reviewed this incident and find that Officer Kevin Jones acted reasonably.”
Chief Doering said the act was considered justified due to the fact that the woman was: “squeezing very hard while twisting her fingernails into Officer Jones’ hand and wrist while simultaneously turning her body toward him.”
Chief Doering said Officer Jones was defending himself and “He did so by making a split-second decision to immediately turn his body in the same direction as Ms. Allegrone was turning, while pulling his hand away from her, and in using her turning momentum, he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her rapidly forward and down to the ground as one continuing movement. Once on the ground Ms. Allegrone cooperated and was hand-cuffed without further resistance,” Doering said. “Had he not reacted decisively, Ms. Allegrone would have continued to jeopardize the officer’s safety, and others, with her assaultive behavior.”
3 comments