Officer’s excessive force during arrest results in final warning. Incident involved a ‘grossly disproportionate’ takedown of a drunken woman.
Tucker got a final warning that stays on his record for five years. A panel said he committed gross misconduct. The incident was in the city center.
Tucker said she kicked a bin and yelled, claiming she seemed ready to fight and threatened him and others, but the panel didn’t agree. The panel stated the woman was far from others and posed no risk, deciding that Tucker pre-planned a takedown.
The panel said Tucker had no reason to protect himself and his actions were unnecessary and extreme, using force that was “grossly disproportionate.” The panel concluded the woman’s head hit the pavement and Tucker may have caused her injury, but they could not confirm the bruising came from that fall.
He dragged her while she was handcuffed, a move they stated was unnecessary. A lawyer, Mark Ley-Morgan, speaking for the police, said, “It was lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt,” describing it as violence against a vulnerable person who was drunk and easily injured.
Ley-Morgan said people watched and were upset, as revealed in the footage, and this action hurts public trust in police. He added that people think police are too aggressive, and the panel thought Tucker could have talked to her.
Tucker decided on a takedown too quickly, breaking his training, and Ley-Morgan argued he doesn’t realize his mistake even now and endangered a harmless, drunken person. He continued no force was needed and the force used was excessive, with the lawyer wanting Tucker fired immediately.
Tucker’s lawyer, Julian King, argued for a final warning, stating this incident didn’t reflect typical behavior and he didn’t plan to hurt anyone that day. King said the situation was hard, describing it as an isolated bad choice, a misjudgment, not malicious intent with solid references at work.
His supervisor called him “integral” and another said he was “hardworking.” The panel believed the action wasn’t premeditated, thinking he had not planned injury, and decided the final warning was enough.
Tucker said he worked hard to get where he was, adding this event wasn’t him. The hearing noted he threw her to the ground near a bus around 2 AM, and people complained about his treatment on the scene. Tucker said he could have done better, but believed he acted legally and to protect people.
The woman was charged for damaging a bin and with being drunk, and she was released later on. The IOPC investigated after a referral, and Derrick Campbell, who leads the IOPC, said, “Police can use force, but it must be reasonable.”
Campbell believed Tucker’s force was excessive and unacceptable. “He disrespected a vulnerable woman,” Campbell stated. “This hurts police trust.” The IOPC interviewed Tucker under caution for assault, but prosecutors chose not to file charges.
His actions were not sex discrimination, as he had treated men very differently earlier that night, peacefully stopping a fight there.