A Dothan woman and her attorney held a press release with more information on the viral video showing Dothan Police Department officers repeatedly hitting the woman while restrained.
Video taken on the scene shows a woman, later identified as April Franklin, being straddled by an officer while the officer punches her repeatedly. In the video other officers are shown attempting to put handcuffs on her.
The incident happened early Sunday morning after midnight in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge on East Burdeshaw Street. It’s currently unclear why officers were called there.
Dustin Fowler, Franklin’s attorney, said DPD needs to release the body camera footage of the incident.
“We are disturbed by this, and the city is yet to reach out,” Fowler said. “(My clients) were arrested on charges they believe are false.”
Fowler said the city was “doing nothing but sitting on their hands” by not releasing the body camera footage.
“There will be a reckoning on this,” he said.
Steve Etheredge, another lawyer working on the case, said, “What you see in the video is a police officer totally out of control. (They) exhibited conduct that could not be explained, excused or tolerated in the city of Dothan or any other city.”
The lawyers also called for the officer involved to be suspended.
Dothan Police released a statement as soon as the press conference was over;
