Fired Miami Gardens Police Officer Accused Of Kneeling On Woman's Neck
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Authorities announced Thursday the arrest of a former Miami Gardens police officer who is facing two counts of official misconduct and four counts of battery.
Jordy Yanes Martel, 30, of Hialeah, was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Officials said Yanes Martel, who was fired from the Miami Gardens Police Department last week, had been booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $6,000 bond.
Here is what authorities said led to the charges against him:
"Charges stem from a January incident where Yanes Martel, then a police officer, was working off-duty security at Tootsie's Cabaret on 183rd Street in Miami. The manager of the club told agents that he asked Yanes Martel to give the victim a trespass warning after she threw a tip at a waitress."
Authorities said the victim, identified as Safiya Satchell, was in her vehicle trying to leave the club when she was stopped by security. Yanes Martel told Satchell to get out of her car and walk to his police car. Then, allegedly, he forcibly removed Satchell from her vehicle.
Officials said Yanes Martel then took Satchell to the ground and knelt on her neck. "While officers had control over both of the victim's arms, Yanes Martel tased the victim twice on the stomach. The victim suffered numerous cuts and bruises as well as abrasions on her stomach from the taser."
On Thursday, during a press conference, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in the police report Martel said Satchell was resisting arrest — forcing him to use his taser twice. Investigators say the video tells a very different story.
Satchell's attorney released a statement saying in part, "If you're an officer that has broken policy or acted under color of law with a belief that Black Lives don't Matter, you ought to be looking over your shoulder because the chickens have finally come home to roost."
Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert says the arrest sends a message.
"Ultimately, it's actions like this that let people know, let officers know that if they're going to do bad stuff like that it's not going to be accepted, and let members of the public know there's going to be accountability built into the system," said Mayor Gilbert.
The police union released a statement saying, "We are concerned that the recent nationwide events surrounding law enforcement played into today's actions..."
"It is so important that allegations of excessive use of force in law enforcement are fully investigated, not only for the betterment of the community, but also for those law enforcement officers dedicated to public service and helping others," said FDLE Miami Special Agent in Charge Troy Walker. "We appreciate our partnership with State Attorney Kathleen Fernandez Rundle and Miami Gardens PD."
"There is nothing innovative about recognizing that every member of our community deserves basic respect in their interactions with law enforcement," noted State Attorney Fernandez Rundle. "The alleged criminal acts we are pursuing today, represent a basic lack of respect with what we believe can be proven as a misrepresentation of the facts leading to a violent arrest. We cannot, and will not, tolerate such actions in this community, just as we will not tolerate the victimization of the truth in our search for justice."
