Washington, D.C., police are launching an internal investigation after a Twitter video surfaced showing a black woman being lifted off her feet and pinned to a police vehicle by an officer, the Washington Post reports.
“We’ve been made aware of the video and contacted their commanding officer,” Rachel Schaerr, a department spokeswoman, told the Post, adding that D.C. police will “continue investigating this matter.”
As the Post notes, the video was published just before 4 p.m. Monday by a Twitter user. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, it had been retweeted more than 6,000 times.
In the short clip, an officer can be seen pinning the woman to the police cruiser as her feet dangle above the ground. It is not immediately clear what prompts the incident, but the officer can be heard saying, "Yes, you did. I saw it."
According to the Post, the incident occurred near Howard University and across from Howard Theater.
Fox 5 DC caught up with the woman, who did not want to be identified. She said that she believed she was perceived as a threat.
"It was harassment and I asked for the police officer's badge—they wouldn't give me no names, no numbers or nothing—so I left. I never knew this was being recorded," the woman said.
She was not arrested or charged.
“If they did anything wrong, they will be held accountable," Schaerr told the Post.
Read more at the Washington Post and Fox 5 DC.