A police officer from the US has been sacked after a disturbing video showed him punching a handcuffed woman.
On 20 May at around 8:30pm in Colorado officers were called to North Garfield Avenue and East 29th Street in Loveland, after reports of a woman wandering in and out of traffic.
After officers noticed she was speaking incoherently, so she was placed in protective custody and transported to the Medical Center of the Rockies.
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But what happened at the hospital is something no one would have expected, as the handcuffed woman was escorted to the examination.
While in there, she was verbally abusive to healthcare workers and even spat at one of the nurses and police officers.
Loveland police say that 'the officer responded with inappropriate use of force by striking the female in the face, causing minor injuries to her face.'
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After the incident, another officer quickly intervenes and pulls the officer who punched the woman away from her.
The woman has now been identified as 59-year-old Angelia Hall while the officer was later revealed to be Russell Maranto, 28.
A plastic bag was placed on Hall's head to stop her from spitting while she demanded to see footage of the attack, citing she was in handcuffs unable to defend herself.
Immediately after the incident, Maranto was placed on administrative leave and then later had his position terminated by the City of Loveland.
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Loveland Police Chief Tom Doran confirmed in a statement on Friday (9 June) the officer had been sacked for unnecessary use of force.
"I am sharing this video in the spirit of transparency and on the promise to hold both my team and the citizens who break the law accountable for their actions," he said.
The local police force have now released 90 minutes of bodycam footage of that day, with the chief encouraging the public to view all of it to have the full picture.
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Maranto was fired from his police role just three days after the incident, with police saying they dealt with the situation swiftly.
"I don’t believe it took very long for us to come to the conclusion that this officer should be terminated. That was a fairly swift decision," Doran said.
The police chief also praised officer Nick Hobbs for pulling back Maranto and stopping the situation from escalating.
"It is not easy to do, and he made it appear like it was instinct. He was in so quickly, so appropriately, he did everything that was right," Doran said.
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As for Hall, she has been charged with third-degree assault.
Callum Jones