The Florida cop who was fired after he was filmed yanking a student’s hair and calling bystanders “stupid little children” was charged with battery Tuesday.
The November incident occurred outside Westridge Middle School in Orlando, Florida, when officers responded to a fight that broke out between students. The officer who yanked the student’s hair was later identified as Harry Reid. He was an Orange County school deputy.
“On January 30, 2020, our office did in fact file an Information charging Harry Reid, the former Orange County Sheriff’s deputy accused of pulling a girl by the hair, with one count of battery. This is an open and active investigation which limits our ability to comment any further,” State Attorney Aramis Ayala said in a statement, according to WESH.
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The incident, which was shared on social media and went viral, saw Reid being widely criticized for the way he handled the incident. He was removed from his post as resource deputy at the school and subsequently fired.
The 13-year-old student whose hair was yanked, Wilmica Edmond, also announced she is planning on filing a civil lawsuit against Reid.
“I was like ‘why is he doing that cause I didn’t do anything wrong,’” Edmond told reporters, according to WESH. “I was scared.”
In the video, Reid is seen holding Edmond against the trunk of a car, with her arms held behind her back.
Reid then grabs Edmond by her scarf and pulls her head back, saying “You’re the one who started this s— at school. … I’m tired of this s—.”
He then grabs Edmond to a police car and puts her in the back seat. She was briefly detained before being released.
Reid was also captured in the footage yelling at bystanders after the incident saying: “Back off, I’m tired of everybody here. This is because you’re silly. You’re all stupid little children.”
At a press conference after the incident, Orange County Sheriff John Mina described Reid’s conduct as “out of control.”
“I am extremely upset, disappointed and outraged by the conduct of our deputy sheriff in this instance,” Mina said. “I want the community to know that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.”
