Recently published police footage reveals an incident in Tempe, Arizona, where officers forcefully took down an Arizona State University cheerleader, Eryn Bonner. This occurred after she allegedly interfered with an arrest on July 19. In the video, you can see one officer pushing her to the ground and then pinning her against a police bicycle before detaining her on the sidewalk.
During the arrest of two men accompanying her, Bonner is heard shouting, “Let him go! Let him go!” Following the incident, she was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and hindering police, although Maricopa County prosecutors decided against pursuing felony charges.
Bonner’s attorney, Benjamin Taylor, has called for the responsible officer’s termination and released a statement from the Bonner family expressing their anguish. They described the experience as heartbreaking, stating, “There are no words to fully describe the heartbreak of watching our daughter being hurt by someone entrusted to protect and serve our community,” according to a statement reported by ABC15.
The family’s statement continued on a more emotional note: “The hardest thing is seeing the pain and sadness in her eyes that we cannot take away. Expecting public servants to live up to the highest standards of their profession is not an act of animosity toward those who serve with honor.” They urged the public to support them as they continue to heal.
Prior to the encounter, surveillance footage from a nearby business shows Bonner and her friends walking past another individual on the sidewalk. There seemed to be a confrontation as one of Bonner’s friends got into an argument, while a second friend tried to separate them. Nearby police officers on bicycles noticed the situation and quickly moved in.
Authorities have indicated that Bonner allegedly struck one of the officers during the arrests of her two friends, leading to the chaos that unfolded.
