On July 15, 2015, Kelli Wilson took out her cellphone to record two Jacksonville, Fla., policemen arresting her husband when, she says, the officers assaulted and arrested her and took her phone, footage of which was captured by a surveillance camera.
"I was beaten and then falsely arrested, my phone was stolen, my car was taken," Wilson told News 4 Jax. "It was a traumatic experience. It was definitely an experience you never think you would be going through."
Wilson told the news station that the incident happened outside a Jacksonville convenience store and that initially she was recording the arrest of her husband to ensure that her husband was safe. Wilson says that one officer demanded that she stop recording. She asked the officer why.
"He asked for it, he demanded it again and I gave him the same, 'Why do you want my phone? What do you need my phone for?' He told me he would punch me in my face," Wilson told News Jax 4. "I eventually got punched and beaten, and the sergeant that was on the scene joined in the beating."
Wilson said she was tackled and arrested by the officers, who took her phone. Although Wilson lost footage of the incident when her phone was confiscated, footage captured by a surveillance camera shows Wilson talking to police before an officer attempts to grab her phone. The officer also appears to punch Wilson.
According to the police report viewed by the news station, Wilson refused several requests to identify herself. Police say Wilson interfered with the investigation, although on the footage, Wilson can be seen backing away from the officers.
Wilson says police still have her phone and that the footage recorded on the phone could exonerate her.
As it stands, Wilson still faces charges, although it is unclear exactly what the charges are.
"The state attorney's office has evaluated the facts and circumstances in this case and filed the appropriate charge. A jury will determine if the defendant is guilty of this charge," according to a statement released by the state attorney's office.
One of Wilson's lawyers, Dexter Van Davis, told the news station that Wilson is fortunate that a surveillance camera captured the incident. "She was lucky for that video, because without it, I don’t think a judge or jury would believe her against three police officers," he said.
Read more at News 4 Jax.