LYNN, MASS. (WHDH) - A woman who Lynn police said attacked and bit officers at a rooming house before being repeatedly punched in the face and pepper-sprayed appeared in court on Friday after officials released body camera video showing her violent arrest.
Jessica Wagle, 39, is facing charges including assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, according to police.
Wagle already made an appearance in court on Monday, at which point she was held on $1,000 bail and sent for medical attention. Her bail for this case was set for $500, but she is being held without bail on an outstanding case.
After watching the entire incident on the police body camera video, though, Lynn’s police chief said an initial review found “the officers acted within the Lynn Police Use of Force Policy.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to single out someone who is following our protocol,” Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson said.
“[W]e know there are hard situations and I think it’s important for him and his colleagues to understand that we recognize that,” Nicholson said.
WARNING THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC
Nicholson said he supports the officers involved in this incident. He also said he wants to review protocol, saying “I do think there’s more we can do to prevent that scenario from playing like that.”
The incident happened Sunday morning when police were called to remove an unwanted guest at a rooming house.
Chief of Police Christopher Reddy said Wagle was known to them and had two open arrest warrants.
When Wagle wouldn’t cooperate, the officers were seen using pepper spray.
A police report obtained by 7NEWS explains one officer punched Wagle four times because he got pepper spray in his eyes and because Wagle was both attacking the officers and dragging the situation on.
Todd McGee, a former state police defensive tactics instructor, analyzed both the body camera video and the cell phone video of the arrest this weekend for 7NEWS.
“I understand the optics — difficult to watch, certainly — but as far as application of force the law allows law enforcement to use proportionate levels of force based on the level of resistance,” McGee said.
McGee said something else could have been done.
“But we have to understand that the other option would have been use of baton or use of taser,” he said. “That would have been higher level of force than the punches to face.”
Wagle is due back in court in April.
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