Police chief: body cam release to come

Fort Collins Police Services' chief of police said Sunday that the body camera video from an Old Town incident on Thursday night will be released at the conclusion of an investigation.

A nine-second video showing a Fort Collins police officer throwing a 22-year-old woman to the ground in Fort Collins made the rounds on social media over the weekend.

The video, taken by a bystander, was posted online and widely shared on Twitter and Instagram. The incident was also captured on body-worn cameras.

"This event will be thoroughly investigated. The court process will take place and there will be an internal review of the officer's actions from the perspective of policy and procedure. At the conclusion of these investigative processes, the body worn camera video will be made available to the public," Fort Collins Police Chief John Hutto said in the statement.

As previously reported in the Coloradoan, officers were dispatched Thursday night to reports of a "separated disturbance" between two men near Bondi Beach Bar in Old Town Fort Collins. While officers were gathering information from employees about the reported fight, the girlfriend of one of the suspects "shoulder-checked the bouncer and an officer and then pulled her boyfriend from the area," Kate Kimble, Fort Collins police spokeswoman, told the Coloradoan.

"The officers told her that her boyfriend was not free to leave but that she could go," Kimble said. "She remained at the scene, at which time she physically obstructed and struck an officer."

The woman was identified through jail records and by police as Michaella Surat, 22. Police say the arrest technique was relatively standard, and the woman had already assaulted the officer.

"As with most events of this type, the short, publicly-available video does not have the context or content of the full event. Additionally, rarely in use of force situations is there agreement from all the parties involved as to the appropriateness, efficacy, or necessity of its use. These questions are only answered through the analysis of all the evidence after the fact," Hutto said.

You can read the full statement here:

FCPS Chief John Hutto's Message Regarding Arrest Video || City of Fort Collins