Ikeria Tate, a 15-year-old Black girl from Miami, is facing felony charges after being body-slammed by a Miami-Dade Public Schools officer. The incident occurred at Edison High School and was caught on video during a brawl following a football game. The footage, obtained by Local 10, shows Sergeant Odige slamming Tate to the ground and then grabbing her by the hair. Tate can be seen flailing her arms afterward, which police interpreted as an attempt to hit the officer, leading to charges of battery, resisting arrest, and disrupting a school function.
Tate, however, disputes these claims, stating that her actions were defensive. "When he slammed me, I was like trying to hold him so I can get up, like for he cannot slam me," she explained to NBC Miami. She insisted she wasn't trying to strike the officer: "I wasn't throwing a punch, I was telling him to get off me," she said. The arrest report alleges that Tate became combative and tried to punch Odige, prompting him to "redirect" her to the ground. However, the video does not show the moments leading up to the incident, leaving Tate's alleged aggression unconfirmed.
Tate's mother, Monique Warner, expressed outrage over the treatment of her daughter. "I feel like he shouldn't have done that to my child. If anything, you should've tried to restrain her in a better way," she told Local 10. Warner added that this type of behavior contributes to children's fear of the law: "You are supposed to help them. This is why the kids are scared of the law."
Both the Miami-Dade Public School District and its police department are investigating the case, but Tate still faces serious charges, including a third-degree felony, which could lead to up to five years in prison.
Link: Atlanta Black Star
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