Springfield police release body camera footage of arrest involving 19-year-old woman

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Springfield police have released body camera footage showing an officer using force against a 19-year-old woman who they said had several felony arrests.

The Springfield Police Department said in a press release that an officer, identified as J. Walter, stopped a vehicle registered to Promyss Davis around 4:30 p.m. on March 27.

The body camera footage showed Davis beginning to walk away from Walter as soon as she got out of her car.

According to Springfield police, Davis provided Walter a fake name, but that was unclear in the footage since the audio was muted when she provided that information.

After asking for Davis' real name, Walter commanded her to put her hands behind her back. At that point in the footage, Walter did not tell Davis why she was being taken into custody, despite being asked several times.

Following a brief foot chase, Walter tackled Davis to the ground. The video showed Walter using both hands to restrain Davis for a short time.

Officials with the Springfield Branch of the NAACP voiced their concerns after a separate video had circulated on social media that appeared to show Walter punching Davis.

The Springfield Police Department said in a news release that the struggle with Davis had turned Walter's body cam off. That detail is unclear in the footage, as his right hand is not in frame before the clip ended. WAND News has not obtained that footage.

Body camera footage from a second responding officer was released, telling Davis to put her hands behind her back after leaving his cruiser.

The footage shows that Davis was already on the ground after being handcuffed by Walter, and that officer placed his hand on her shoulder as she was cuffed. She added that Walter had hit her in the head.

SPD did not release the second officer's name.

The full body cam footage is available on the Springfield Police Department's transparency page.

In a news release, Springfield police said Walter "followed his training and established policy in effecting this arrest" and said that Walter used the "lowest level of force necessary."

Springfield NAACP told WAND that they were glad to see a police statement and body camera footage released. They added that concerned about the possible "excessive use of force," but will review the video and facts with police.