Viral video of a raucous Hartford police arrest Monday morning on Blue Hills Avenue has sparked a new community conversation about law enforcement’s relationship with the Black community in the capital city.
Bystander footage of the incident captured a traffic stop turned physical as a Black woman livid at officers for saying her car had been reported stolen tried to leave the scene but was pulled from the vehicle and pressed into the pavement to be handcuffed, repeatedly screaming “I can’t breathe” while a crowd of bystanders jeered officers.
The videos immediately went viral in local Facebook groups, drawing hundreds of comments both decrying the officers' actions and the woman’s tirade and resistance, prompting the Hartford Police Department to take the unusual step of releasing one of its officer’s body camera videos and a lengthy explanation just hours later.