Video Of DeKalb Officer Beating Homeless Woman Raises Anger

DECATUR, GA -- Days after a video showing a homeless woman being struck repeatedly with a baton by a DeKalb County police officer went viral, this community just outside Atlanta continues to stir with emotion.

Near the end of the 1 minute-39 second video, Katie McCrary can be seen repeatedly asking, "What did I do?” Her question was preceded by rapid strikes from the officer's baton, who yells at her to "Put your hands behind your back!" The June 4 incident began when the officer responded to a call about a woman loitering and asking customers for money at a Decatur Chevron. Moments later, the lawman is beating the woman in an attempt to pin her to the ground so that he can handcuff her.

Read more: GBI says it can't find woman beaten by DeKalb officer

The incident has caused anger in the community, which is diverse by any standard. It has also roused racial suspicions as many see it as yet another case of a white police officer brutalizing an African-American. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Decatur Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The officer, identified as P.J. Larscheid, is a 2014 Lions Club International Police Officer of the Year. He was cleared in the case last month, but with the recent emergence of the cell phone video, DeKalb officials have reopened the case and placed him on “restrictive/administrative duty.”

Read more: GBI probes cop's beating of homeless woman

Meanwhile, Katie McCrary, 38, is behind bars on a prostitution charge that came days later. As the video and case continues to spread on social media, her name has become a rallying cry against police brutality.

McCrary’s husband, Antoine McCrary, speaking to WSB-TV, said that he is "filled with anger" about what happened to his wife, who was charged with obstructing a police officer in the incident.

"She was not technically fighting. She was trying to block hits from the baton,” he told the TV station. “Yes, she has mental problems but to me my wife is one of the kindest persons on earth." He said that he just wants justice.

In the police report of the incident, Larscheid states that McCrary pushed him, prompting his reaction, WSB reports.

The video was taken by Stacy Zachery, 41, at the gas station at Glenwood Road and Line Street. Days after sharing it with only family and friends, her son posted it on her YouTube, according to the New York Times. The clip was met with instant condemnation, with many people decrying the officer's tactics on what they see as a defenseless civilian.

Katie McCrary is shown on the video trying to shield herself from the deputy's relentless blows, trying to grab the stick at times and kicking defensively in others. For some, the video is difficult to watch.

“From the beginning of the video she looks like she was under terror,” customer Craig Nelson WGCL-TV. "She's not mentally there ... You can see that she wasn’t even resisting arrest. She was probably resisting the last few swings that weren’t caught on camera.”

“It is just disgusting to watch her get beaten like that,” Francys Johnson, president of the Georgia NAACP, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If she were an animal … if she were a dog, the officer would have already lost his job.”

The fate of Larscheid's job remains to be seen, according to DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell.

She told the Times that the department is still determining whether the officer acted appropriately. “It’s not that we’re saying he did something wrong,” she was quoted as saying. “We’re just looking at the video to make sure that it aligns with his original statement.”

Image via Youtube / Stacy Zachery