“Officer, you know this is wrong.”
He avoided her eyes.
“Stop making it difficult.”
“I'm standing here with my hands visible. Your partner has already used the Taser. What exactly do you want me to do?”
The older officer said nothing. His silence told her more than his words could have. He understood the problem, but he was choosing loyalty to his partner over his responsibility to the person they had stopped.
The younger officer grabbed her chin, pulling her face toward him.
“Look at me when I'm talking.”
She went still.
“Take your hand off my face.”
He laughed.
“Or what?”
“I'm telling you to stop.”
He released her chin only to draw his left arm backward. The motion was sudden, but she had already recognized the shift in his stance. When he swung toward her face, she moved defensively, broke free of the older officer's loosened hold, and delivered one controlled blow that sent him staggering against the patrol car. His Taser dropped onto the gravel, and she immediately retreated with both hands raised.
For one stunned second, nobody moved.
Then the younger officer touched his jaw.
His expression changed from surprise to rage.
“You hit me!”
The commander kept her hands open.
“You tried to strike me.”
“You assaulted an officer!”
“I defended myself. I'm not approaching you.”
The older officer moved toward her, reaching for his restraints.
“Get down on the ground!”
She shook her head.
“I'm not going anywhere. Call your supervisor.”
The younger officer looked toward the witness with the phone.
“Stop recording!”
The witness's voice shook.
“I haven't broken any law.”
The commander spoke sharply.
“Leave her alone.”
The officer took another step, but his older partner caught his arm.
“Enough. We need a supervisor.”
The younger officer jerked away.
“You've got to be kidding me.”
The commander watched them carefully. She had no desire to continue the confrontation, but she knew that turning her back or making a sudden movement could give the officers an excuse to escalate further. She remained beside the SUV, breathing slowly, her right hand raised higher than her left. The older officer appeared to be reconsidering what had happened, but the younger one still looked determined to regain control through intimidation.