Tempe cops drop the hammer on a 21-year-old who barged into a late-night Mill Avenue arrest, then one of them punched her in the face after she allegedly struck him first, bodycam footage shows.
The chaotic brawl erupted just after 1:40 a.m. on July 19 outside the CASA nightclub and Sunbar, where three bicycle officers were already wrestling two men to the ground amid a sidewalk fight. Eryn Kelise Bonner, an Arizona State University senior, refused repeated orders to step back, shoved between the officers, and tried to yank one of the men free, police said.
Body-worn camera and surveillance video released by the department show officers pushing her away twice. She kept coming. An officer grabbed her to take her into custody; both tumbled over a police bike. While the officer was on top of her trying to gain control, Bonner flailed and struck him multiple times in the face, according to the arrest report. He responded with a single punch to stop the assault and get her in handcuffs.
The officer walked away with a 3-to-4-inch laceration on his forearm, wrist scratches, and facial pain. Bonner was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault on a first responder and resisting arrest.
A short bystander clip that captured only the punch rocketed across social media and triggered immediate outrage, with critics accusing the officer of excessive force against a woman who was simply yelling at police. Tempe PD pushed back by releasing the longer footage, arguing the viral snippet left out the commands she ignored and the blows she landed first. The Tempe Officers Association called the single strike the minimum force needed to regain control.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and declined to pursue the felony charges. Tempe police later filed misdemeanor counts against Bonner, including disorderly conduct and hindering officers. An internal administrative investigation into the officer’s use of force remains open. Two newly elected Tempe council members reviewed the full video and said the officers used disproportionate force without enough de-escalation.
Bonner’s attorney has called the punch “ridiculous” and claimed officers never properly tried to calm the situation. Photos taken days later showed her with a black eye. Police maintain she created the danger by inserting herself into an active arrest and assaulting an officer who was already fighting two other men on the ground.
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