An Atlanta police sergeant has been fired over an Instagram video showing him kick a handcuffed woman in the head
Atlanta Police Department
- The Atlanta police sergeant seen in a viral video kicking a handcuffed woman in the head has been fired.
- Marc Theodule, who had been with the department since 2009, was found to have violated policy.
- Another officer who was at the scene with Theodule has been returned to duty.
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The Atlanta Police Department has fired the sergeant who was captured in a viral Instagram video kicking a handcuffed woman in the head.
Marc Theodule, who had been with the department since 2009, was fired after the department's Office of Professional Standards completed its investigation into the incident on Monday, the agency said in a press release Wednesday evening.
"Based on a review of all the facts, it was determined Sgt. Marc Theodule's actions violated department policy and he acted outside of APD standards and training," the agency said.
The incident first came to light last month, when the Instagram account Atlanta Uncensored posted a six-second video showing Theodule and Officer Bridget Citizen standing above a woman who was lying on her stomach on the ground, with her hands cuffed behind her back.
At one point in the video, the woman could be seen lifting her head while Theodule appeared to kick her.
The video itself does not show what happened before or after the six-second interaction, but its caption said that the kick occurred after the woman spat on the officer's boots.
Theodule and Citizen were initially suspended after the incident went viral. The department said in a statement at the time it was concerned that Citizen, who has been with the department since 2006, didn't intervene.
However, the Office of Professional Standards investigation found that Citizen didn't violate the department's policy requiring officers to intervene, so she was returned to duty this week.
"Our expectation is that employees intervene in on-going active situations, in this case, the kick occurred one time and then ceased," the office said. "It was also determined that Officer Citizen brought the incident to the attention of a supervisor, a short time after the incident."