TEMPE, AZ — A woman was arrested outside a Tempe bar early Sunday after police said she interfered with officers breaking up a fight, but video of the incident is raising questions — and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has already declined to prosecute, citing no reasonable likelihood of conviction.
Video recorded outside CASA on Mill Avenue in Tempe shows a woman approaching officers from the Tempe Police Department's bike squad while officers are breaking up a fight. In the video, the woman is yelling before an officer pushes her and eventually takes her to the ground on top of one of the bikes.
According to court documents, on July 19, 2026, at approximately 1:45 a.m. the 21-year-old woman was placed under arrest for interference with a police investigation, aggravated assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest.
Court documents say three Tempe Police bike squad officers were attempting to arrest two suspects involved in an active physical altercation when the woman began interfering by standing behind the officers and attempting to pull one of the suspects away who was being actively detained. At that time, according to court documents, an officer shoved the woman back and away from the officers and told her numerous times to step back.
Court documents say she stepped forward again and pushed her body between the officers, who were still actively attempting to gain control of the two men who were resisting arrest. The officer, who was assisting with the detention of one of the male suspects, then shoved her once more with two hands and told her again to step back, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the woman fell and then quickly stood back up and aggressively approached the officer with clenched fists while blading her body toward him.
Video shows the officer punching the woman while she is on the ground, after police say in court documents she struck the officer “5 to 6 times."
Court documents say the woman continued to act belligerently by yelling profanities at police and not following commands after she was placed under arrest.
Court documents say the officer sustained visible injuries to the underside of his left forearm, consisting of a superficial laceration approximately 3 to 4 inches in length and visible smaller lacerations on the inside of his right wrist, resulting in Tempe PD submitting charges against the woman for aggravated assault on a first responder and resisting arrest.
But the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has already turned down the case, telling ABC15 there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction.
Tempe Police issued a statement acknowledging the video and announcing an internal investigation and also released four video clips showing different portions and perspectives of the incident.
"We recognize the concerns raised by video of this incident and understand why members of our community have questions. Any use of force by a police officer is taken seriously and warrants careful review.
Based on the information available at this stage, the video circulating online captures only part of a rapidly evolving encounter. While the footage raises understandable concerns, it does not provide the full context of the events leading up to the use of force.
To help provide additional context, we are releasing four video clips that show different portions and perspectives of the incident. While these videos offer a broader view of the encounter than the short clip circulating online, they are only one part of our ongoing review, which also includes body-worn camera footage, witness statements, and all other available evidence.
We have initiated a thorough administrative investigation to determine whether the officer's actions were consistent with Tempe Police Department policy, training, and our core values of Professionalism, Excellence, and Compassion. That review will include the actions of everyone involved in the incident and the totality of the circumstances our officers faced.
We are committed to conducting a fair, objective, and transparent review. If our investigation determines that department policy was violated, we will take appropriate action. We ask for patience as we complete a comprehensive review rather than relying on a single video clip or initial impressions.
We will provide additional information as we are able while protecting the integrity of the investigation."
The Tempe Officers Association and its president, Robert Ferraro, also released a statement, saying the full video record tells a different story than the clip circulating on social media.
"Body-worn camera videos and surveillance footage of the July 19 incident on Mill Avenue tell a far different story than the snippet of video posted to Facebook," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said officers were responding to a chaotic scene when the woman intervened.
"Tempe officers responded quickly to multiple men involved in an altercation. The officers' attempts to separate the individuals and control this fluid scene were impeded by a female friend of two of the men," Ferraro said.
Ferraro described the sequence of events leading up to the use of force.
"An officer moved the woman away from the arrest in progress and ordered her more than once to, 'Get back.' When she crowded in, the officer pushed her with moderate force. She again crowded to within a foot of the officers at work. The officer then pushed her with what appears to be an appropriate level of force to use on someone who has refused multiple commands," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said the officer struck the woman once after she hit him multiple times.
"At that point, the officer attempted to bring her under control. She struggled, hitting him multiple times and scratching him, leaving bruises and lacerations that required medical treatment. The videos show the officer striking the woman one time; a use of force that appears to be the minimum required to bring this person under control," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said officers are too often judged on incomplete video.
"Too often today, police officers are judged by a few seconds of cellphone video that begins after critical events have already occurred. That is exactly what happened here," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said the vast majority of Tempe police contacts do not involve force.
"Tempe police officers make tens of thousands of contacts with members of the public every year. Far more than 99 percent end without any use of force. Every Tempe officer understands that force is a last resort. We also understand that allowing someone to interfere with an active arrest creates unnecessary risks for officers, suspects and bystanders alike. Officers cannot simply ignore someone who repeatedly defies commands and enters the middle of a dangerous encounter," Ferraro said.
Ferraro said the association is confident the full recordings will provide clarity.
"The Tempe Officers Association is confident that when the public views the complete recordings, they will better understand why the officers responded as they did. We thank the public for viewing this incident in its full context, and for withholding judgment based on only one perspective of a rapidly moving, complicated interaction," Ferraro said.
Quinn Gamino, the witness who filmed the video, said what he saw troubled him.
"I know you're not supposed to be, you know, within a certain feet of police and stuff like that when they're trying to do their job, but, in my opinion, it was completely uncalled for what he did," Gamino said.
Gamino described what he saw in the video.
"He throws her, the girl, to the ground, and then right before you see the other lady come in, get close, uh, you could see him strike her in the face," Gamino said.
Attorney Benjamin Taylor also weighed in on the video, saying the officer's response made the situation worse.
"The officer should have de-escalated the situation instead of escalated the situation himself by shoving," Taylor said.
Taylor said the incident fits a pattern he has seen in Tempe.
"This is very common, unfortunately, to see this on Mill Avenue and to see this in the city of Tempe, and we've represented a lot of people in Tempe, unfortunately, who have been assaulted by Tempe police officers," Taylor said. "Ultimately, she has a right to sue in the future for an excessive force case."
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