NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The woman who is at the center of a rough arrest that resulted in a former Miami Gardens officer being charged is now speaking out and sharing her side of the story.
The arrest was caught on camera back in January, but on Monday morning, 32-year-old Safiya Satchell held a media conference on Monday morning to talk about what happened.
“I was just humiliated, embarrassed. I was scared for my life,” Satchell said. “I come from a family of law enforcement, so I was just like confused as to why it was happening to me.”
Cellphone video recorded by Satchell’s friend captured the officer, 30-year-old Jordy Martel, pressing his knee into Satchell’s neck while working an off-duty security job at Tootsie’s, located at 150 NW 183rd St., Jan. 14.
“I saw the video and basically fell to my knees,” said Jonathan Jordan, Satchell’s Attorney
Officials said Satchell’s arrest took place following a confrontation with Tootsie’s staff.
Body camera video shows Satchell, who was pregnant at the time, being pulled from the vehicle, held on the ground with a knee to her neck. While she is being restrained, the footage shows her being shocked with a Taser twice.
“At that moment, I didn’t know what was going on. All I could do was just scream,” she said. “I was scared for my life. Like, the point when he was Tasing me, I didn’t know if I was shot or Tased.”
Jordan said he turned the video over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, and that led to Martel’s arrest.
“We want the jury to see the video. We want the jury to hear the facts,” said Jordan. “We want the judge to decide the appropriate sentence in this case.”
Last week, Martel was charged with four counts of battery and two counts of official misconduct related to the incident in the video. The week prior, he was fired from the Miami Gardens Police Department along with another officer following a different rough takedown that was caught on camera at a RaceTrac gas station in March.
7News cameras captured Martel after he bonded out of jail, Thursday night. He declined to comment on either of the incidents or the charges he is facing.
All the charges against Satchell have since been dropped.
“I’ve never like experienced or thought that could happen to me,” said Satchell. “I’m relieved. I’m glad he was fired. I just want justice to be served. I want him to serve the maximum extent of the law that his charges allow.”
Satchell said she has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is considering pursuing a law degree.
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