What to Know
- A Philly woman whose violent arrest at an NJ beach over Memorial Day weekend was caught on video has been indicted
- Emily Weinman faces two counts of aggravated assault of a police officer along with single counts of resisting arrest and other offenses
- The officers involved were cleared of wrongdoing after authorities reviewed that video and police bodycam footage
The young woman seen on video getting punched twice in the head by a Wildwood, New Jersey, seasonal cop on the first day of Memorial Day weekend has been indicted on two counts of aggravated assault of a police officer.
Emily Weinman, 20, of Philadelphia, also faces single counts of resisting arrest, throwing bodily fluids and obstruction in the indictment handed up last week by a Cape May County grand jury.
The beach confrontation began when Weinman repeatedly refused to give Wildwood officers her name when they questioned her about the presence of alcoholic beverages on the beach. A video shot by a nearby beachgoer showed an officer punching her twice in the head as she lies prone on the sand, her legs flailing.
The officers involved were cleared of wrongdoing after authorities reviewed that video and police body-cam footage.
Weinman rejected a plea bargain offer in July. Her attorneys have said she adamantly denies the charges.
"Under no circumstances do we believe Emily committed an aggravated assault on an officer," defense attorney Steven Scheffler said after the July hearing. "Obviously, we believe that this whole situation could have been handled much better on both sides, quite frankly. And we’re hoping that the prosecutor at some point in time understands that, shows some leniency."
