Controversial Video Of Officer Pushing Woman Down Stairs Gets National Attention
Citizen's Group Calls For Justice Department Involvement
POSTED: Thursday, April 3, 2008
UPDATED: 2:44 pm EDT April 3,
2008
 "He was rushing me out of the club," Asprilla said. "I was going down the stairs and the next thing I knew, he pushed me and I was on the floor." |
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Controversial video of a police officer pushing a woman down some stairs for no apparent reason is getting national attention after a citizen's group calls for the involvement of the Justice Department.
IMAGES:Woman Pushed Down Stairs
Local 6 originally showed video of Jessica Asprilla, 27, being pushed down some steps by Officer Fernando Trinidad, who was working off duty at the now-defunct Club Paris in downtown Orlando."He was rushing me out of the club," Asprilla said. "I was going down the stairs and the next thing I knew, he pushed me and I was on the floor."The incident resulted in a battery charge against the woman.When prosecutors saw the tape, they immediately dropped the charges.Now, Asprilla wants Trinidad charged with battery and perjury."I think it's important for people to know a police officer shouldn't be able to get someone who is innocent charged, arrested, (put) in jail and then get away with it," Asprilla said. "Police officers should not be able to get away with treating people that way. He should be held liable. I was arrested and I went to jail and I spent 15 hours in jail while he only had eight hours of suspension taken away from his vacation time."Police Chief Val Demings decided the punishment for Trinidad was appropriate after an internal investigation found, in part, that Trinidad submitted a false report, Local 6's Tony Pipitone reported.Officer Trinidad and Demings have refused to discuss the incident with Local 6.Video of the event and the Local 6 story will be featured on the nationally seen "Inside Edition" show Thursday.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
IMAGES:Woman Pushed Down Stairs Local 6 originally showed video of Jessica Asprilla, 27, being pushed down some steps by Officer Fernando Trinidad, who was working off duty at the now-defunct Club Paris in downtown Orlando."He was rushing me out of the club," Asprilla said. "I was going down the stairs and the next thing I knew, he pushed me and I was on the floor."The incident resulted in a battery charge against the woman.When prosecutors saw the tape, they immediately dropped the charges.Now, Asprilla wants Trinidad charged with battery and perjury."I think it's important for people to know a police officer shouldn't be able to get someone who is innocent charged, arrested, (put) in jail and then get away with it," Asprilla said. "Police officers should not be able to get away with treating people that way. He should be held liable. I was arrested and I went to jail and I spent 15 hours in jail while he only had eight hours of suspension taken away from his vacation time."Police Chief Val Demings decided the punishment for Trinidad was appropriate after an internal investigation found, in part, that Trinidad submitted a false report, Local 6's Tony Pipitone reported.Officer Trinidad and Demings have refused to discuss the incident with Local 6.Video of the event and the Local 6 story will be featured on the nationally seen "Inside Edition" show Thursday.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Previous Stories:
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
Jason Rodriguez is formally charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held on no bond on charges he shot five people, killing one in a downtown office building on Friday.
| Arrest | Suspect
Images and hundreds of pages of documents related to the Casey Anthony case are released by the state attorney's office.
A final police report into the murder-suicide that left a Heathrow family of four dead details the couple's former swinging lifestyle and a gambling habit.
Ida has become a tropical storm again, with top winds of 45 mph, as it swirls in the Caribbean on a track that could bring it to the U.S. Gulf Coast next week.
Local 6 wants to keep you up to date on growing crime trends in our community and make you aware of ways you may be able to prevent being victimized.
Police release the name of the victim killed in a shooting at an Orlando high-rise and file first-degree murder charges against the suspected shooter. 
Local 6 News, led by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, will host an interactive experience on Monday at 6:30 p.m. with viewers, including a phone bank and online chat with homeowners association experts.
Police say a bus driver and a bus attendant are facing charges after a 3-year-old special needs student was left on a bus for more than seven hours.
Eric Flack goes inside a controversial swingers club in suburban Cincinnati.
A South Carolina man caught on video having sex with a horse has been sentenced to three years in prison for abusing the animal.
Hundreds of photos in the Casey Anthony case are released.
Take a quick look at the flicks headed to your multiplex. Check out the trailer, too.
Photos uploaded on Oct. 9, 2009.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
