Police officer body slams black teacher, violent arrest caught on camera

Breaion King, 26, opened her car door in a parking lot on June 15, 2015, but was immediately told to get back inside. Austin police officer Bryan Richter approached and told her he'd pulled her over for speeding.

Moments later, he ducked into her car and grabbed at King, who wailed in protest. Richter yanked King up and threw her onto the asphalt, forcing her hands behind her and shouting that she was under arrest, though he did not say what for.

The video of King's violent arrest--which was only recently released publicly after it came under additional police department scrutiny-- has sparked yet another investigation at an American police department.

Warning: This video contains graphic footage some readers may find disturbing.

"My heart was sickened and saddened when I first learned of this incident," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a press conference Thursday.

After the officer threw King to the ground a second time, Richter and another officer put her in the back of a police car. There, Officer Patrick Spradlin talks with King, telling her that black people have "violent tendencies" and look "intimidating." The comments were recorded in a separate police video.

"For those that think life is perfect for people of color, I want you to listen to that conversation," Acevedo said. He went on to say the United States has problems with "bias," "racism" and "issues of people being looked at different because of their color."

Acevedo asked for a review of Richter's actions since he arrested King, and both officers have since been put on desk duty as investigators get to work.

King is no longer charged with resisting arrest, but the effects of that day have lingered.

"I've become fearful to live my life," she said in an interview with The Austin American-Statesman. "I would rather stay home. I've become afraid of the people who are supposed to protect me and take care of me."

The recording's release follows a series of videos depicting police violence that have led to protests across the country.

Just this week, a police officer in North Miami shot a black man in the leg as he was lying on the ground with his hands in the air. He is a behavioral therapist who had followed an autistic patient outside after the patient had wandered off.

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