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A Philadelphia woman was subjugated to unnecessary violence resulting in the loss of her pregnancy after she was tased and assaulted by an officer of the law.

According to the Miami Herald, Officer Jordy Yanes Martel turned himself into authorities on Thursday on assault charges in connection with a January 14 event that escalated during a confrontation outside of Tootsies Cabaret, a local strip club. Prior to turning himself in Martel was terminated from the force.

The woman, 33-year-old Safiya Satchell, was with a friend visiting the venue when she reportedly got into an altercation with the club’s manager over food. The manager then approached Martel and another officer, asking them to give her a trespassing warning.

Satchell is a Black woman, while Martel is Hispanic.

Satchell left the venue with her friend, Raheam Staats-Fleming who ended up filming the encounter on the phone. And this is where the story begins to take a dark turn.

Martel approached Satchell after she entered her Mercedes SUV, and asked her to produce her ID while a security guard, who stood inf front of her car, preventing her from leaving. Satchell questioned why she needed to show her ID, and pushed back on Martel after he asked her to accompany him to his police car.

After informing Martel that she needed to put on her shoes and offered to drive over to his vehicle, the encounter turned violent with Martel reaching into the vehicle and dragging her out of the car after Satchell attempted to stop him from opening her door.

Martel restrained Satchell on the ground and placed his knee on her neck, according to prosecutors. Then used his stun gun on her twice, striking her belly. Satchell, who was weeks pregnant, miscarried due to the tasing and assault.

The video captured by Staats-Fleming served as evidence which completely contradicted Martel’s official report. Martel reported that Satchell struck him and that he was helping her out of her car while she kicked him.

“As a result of Martel’s actions, Ms. Satchel suffered abrasions to her stomach from the Tasers, bruises and abrasions on her arms and bruises on her legs,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said. “By filing these criminal charges today against former Miami Gardens officer Jordy Yanes Martel, we are saying that these actions are just plain wrong.”

“We felt very strongly that what he wrote in his affidavit and the incident report was completely made up,” Fernández Rundle said. She said of the video: “We’re not always fortunate to have this kind of evidence.”

Lawyers for Martel contend that officials are overreacting due to the current climate around police.

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