BALTIMORE (AP)- A woman seen on video getting punched by a Baltimore police officer after she punched another officer twice on his face has pleaded guilty to assault charges.
Sharnesha Street, 43, was sentenced to two years of probation on Monday, news outlets reported.
A video recorded by an onlooker on May 29 showed Street hitting Baltimore police Sgt. Graig Higley in the face as he tried to hold her wrist during a traffic stop in Baltimore. That’s when another officer, Terry Love Jr., punched her from behind, sending her falling to the ground. She remained on the ground for several minutes as a crowd started to gather around the officers.
A report on the incident released in June by the Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s Office said Street had also spat on Higley and tried to run him over with her car. The office has declined to bring charges against Love, saying his use of force was justified.
“Deciding not to charge because the conduct was within what the law allows does not mean that we endorse the Involved Officer’s conduct,” Mosby’s office wrote in a report. “BPD should train officers to exercise restraint in every situation, even those where Maryland law allows less restraint than we would prefer to see.”
Street’s attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon, noted that her probation will be handled by the state’s Mental Health Courts. Gordon told The Baltimore Sun he still plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against Love, saying, “We can’t let him get away with that."