A police officer is under scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force on a drunken woman in Bristol.
PC Ashley Tucker, age 33, is involved and allegedly ran up behind the woman and performed a move he was not trained for, causing her to fall hard on concrete. This happened around 2 AM on April 16, 2023, where people complained right away about how she was treated.
The officer admitted he could have done better by attempting to talk to her first, but he still thinks he acted within the law and believed he had a good reason as a police officer.
The woman was very drunk and out with her family that night, where she kicked a trash bin at a bus stop after yelling aggressively, the hearing learned.
PC Tucker denies any wrongdoing and gross misconduct, but a lawyer for the police said Tucker acted differently with two men, giving them a warning to leave instead of throwing them down, claiming this was sex discrimination.
The lawyer said Tucker grabbed the woman and took her to the ground, where people complained it was excessive force, and Tucker was aware people saw his actions and did not like what they saw.
The woman was arrested by other officers, and Tucker did not tell them he used force, which was not relayed to the jail sergeant, but the woman’s head hit the ground, the lawyer stated, and should have been reported as she was released the next day, without charges.
The lawyer said it was not right to throw her down, but Tucker thought she was a threat and might assault him. The lawyer noted the different treatment and said the force used was unnecessary.
Tucker told the panel he heard her shouting and thought she wanted a fight, noting she looked like she was squaring up. She walked into the street and then kicked the trash bin, which was dented, and he recalled things spilled out.
He ran toward her, as he thought she was committing crimes, whistled and yelled “Stop!”, believing she might cause damage and harm herself or others, and also thought she would run.
He used a takedown move, where she turned toward him, he grabbed her and twisted, causing her to lose balance, and she went down faster than he expected.
He said her head did not hit the ground then, as he held on to stop her from getting hurt, and then Tucker arrested her for criminal damage and being drunk, before handcuffing her.
Her mother arrived and shouted insults at the police, but Tucker still believes he acted lawfully, stating that her gender was not a factor, she was not ignoring him, he did not change his story, and did not exaggerate her actions.
Tucker denied she was standing in the road but thought she would become violent and might do more damage, and again expressed concern that she would flee, stating “I am not telling lies”.
The barrister said he made up the story and lied about her shouting to justify the takedown, fabricating her aggressiveness to rationalize the act.
Tucker admitted it was a mistake, and in hindsight, he could have done better, but he still stands by his actions that day, and if her head hit the ground, it was when he moved her.
The lawyer countered by saying he threw her down with great force, and she moved into the road as the hearing is continuing.