Videos circulated on social media on Tuesday of a white Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputy appearing to repeatedly punch a black woman in the head. The incident took place during an arrest on Tuesday, May 26 at about 1:30 a.m.
The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave, according to Sheriff Jerry Clayton.
Deputies were on Peachcrest Street to investigate a shooting where one woman was injured with a gunshot in her back.
The arrest took place in Ypsilanti Township outside of the home of Jaquisy Diggins where the deputy was seen repeatedly punching Sha’Teina Grady El and using a taser on her husband, Daniel Grady El, when he attempted to help her.
The deputy’s use of force during the arrest is under investigation by an outside organization hired by the Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Clayton.
A video of the arrest was captured by multiple witnesses. A neighbor and protestor, Tamia Taylor, was across the street recording on her cell phone on Facebook Live as the arrest occurred.
The following is the full video taken by Taylor. The arrest can be seen around the time stamp 7:00 of the video.
“Not all police officers are bad but the bad ones make it very hard to trust that any of them will protect and serve our community. We are a very tight-knit community in this neighborhood. The outsider came out here causing problems and pulling out a gun, yet the homeowners were brutalized,” Taylor said to the Echo. “[Sha’Teina Grady El’s] daughter, [Jaquisy Diggins], was scared and scared for the children in the home because the police were aggressive and not following protocol.”
According to Taylor, the deputy did not warn Daniel Grady El that he would tase him and that the deputy “just did it.” Taylor believes the police were not following protocol, however that is not yet confirmed as the deputy involved is still under investigation.
“The officer who assaulted her was wrong period point-blank that was a defenseless black woman, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, wife, and neighbor in our community,“ Taylor said. "We want justice.”
According to Channel 7, Diggin’s said deputies surrounded her house and she explained to the deputies through her window that she did not want to let them in out of concern for a number of children in the house. She also told deputies they were at the wrong house.
“You can clearly see that all [Sha’Teina Grady El] was doing was recording the police,” neighbor Nichole Dustie said. “In the video they even hit [Sha’Teina Grady El] when they got her in the police car. It’s a sad situation."
Sha’Teina and Daniel Grady El walked over to Diggin’s home from a few houses down and began recording on their cell phones which is when the arrest occurred.
According to Sheriff Clayton, Sha’Teina and Daniel Grady El are being held in Washtenaw County Jail with no charges. Protestors arrived at the Sheriff’s Office to demand their release where Taylor protested while capturing their conversation with Sheriff Clayton.
A video also taken by Taylor of the protest prior to entering the Sheriff’s Office can be viewed here.
Questions about the incidient should be sent to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.
