Tampa Police Department Takes Action Following Disturbing Incident

A Tampa police officer has been terminated after a video surfaced showing him dragging a handcuffed woman from his patrol car into a jail facility. The incident occurred on November 17 and prompted an internal investigation by the Tampa Police Department.

The department announced on Tuesday that former officer Gregory Damon had breached departmental policies during the arrest, which was made for trespassing. Body camera footage captured the woman refusing to exit the vehicle while parked at the Orient Road Jail, insisting, “I want you to drag me.”

In the video, Damon forcibly removes the woman from the vehicle and pulls her by the arm across the concrete floor. He pauses to instruct her to stand up, but she does not comply. The footage shows him dragging her towards the jail entrance before he calls for additional officers to assist him, at which point the video ends.

Following this incident, the Tampa Police Department reiterated its policy enacted in 2013, which prohibits officers from dragging uncooperative suspects. Officers are instructed to seek assistance from jail booking personnel or other law enforcement officers in such situations.