JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An attorney for a Jacksonville woman accused of kicking a police officer during a confrontation at her home is seeking to have the case against his client thrown out.
The defense for Brittany Chrishawn Williams filed a motion March 1 to dismiss two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer stemming from a dispute that began outside Williams’ home last May.
Williams was arrested May 13, 2020, on those third-degree felony charges after she was accused of throwing a spoon at an officer and later kicking an officer while she was being detained.
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During an interview Wednesday, Williams replayed the moments that led to her arrest. She said it began when she saw an officer parked in her driveway and approached him to find out why.
“‘Hi officer, can I help you?’” Williams recalled asking the officer. “‘Is there something going on? Is there something I can help with as the property owner?’”
She told News4Jax she didn’t want to startle the officer, who was seated in a patrol car, so she waved at him to get his attention. She said he responded by telling her off, and she called 911 to report him.
Her recollection paints a different picture than her arrest report, which states that the officer told Williams he was checking emails after finishing a call.
The report goes on to say she told the officer to get out of her driveway and then threw a spoon at him while he sat in the car.
News4Jax reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office seeking a response to the motion to dismiss. The agency said no additional information could be provided because the case is complete.
“If I immediately came out yelling and throwing stuff, what officer wouldn’t immediately turn their body camera on?” Williams wondered, referring to body camera footage of the incident.
While the camera wasn’t rolling during Williams’ conversation with the officer, it and cellphone video captured some of what followed.
At some point, four more officers arrived and one of them can be seen walking toward Williams as she and her husband stand on their front steps.
As Williams turns to move away and enters the foyer of her duplex, she is taken down by an officer. Then screams can be heard in the recordings.
“You’re just mad because I am a Black girl,” Williams can be heard saying as she’s detained.
To which the officer replied, “No, because you battered a law enforcement officer.”
The 39-page motion claims the Sheriff’s Office unlawfully entered Williams’ home during the episode. It also contends that Williams never threatened to use her gun on police.
That’s in contrast to the arrest report, which states: “HQ stated the complainant advised she has a gun and would shoot the police if they came near her.”
Both the motion and report agree on one thing: Williams did not have a history of violence and was no credible threat.
Williams, who does not have a criminal record, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.