TAMPA, Fla. — A Riverview woman is calling for accountability of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Sandra Zikry claims a deputy used excessive force on her in an incident that happened several weeks ago.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared the body camera footage from that day, and in it, you can see a traffic stop escalating from a speeding ticket of one person to arrests of two others.
WATCH: Riverview woman alleges excessive force in traffic stop arrest; sheriff’s office releases bodycam
Everyone involved in the matter, including a legal expert, shared their thoughts with ABC Action News, Saturday.
"I support proper policing, following the law, following our constitutional rights, but this is not constitutional," said Zikry.
Zikry and her husband held a press conference Saturday afternoon with civil rights organizations, calling for justice.
She shared a video that her brother took from the July 25th incident on TikTok, and it got tens of thousands of views.
Sandra and her family claim they experienced verbal harassment, excessive use of force, false charges, and violation of disability rights.
"Being in the hospital for 12 hours of hypertension, acute distress, and my baby having low fluids, it's very traumatizing," said Zikry.
At the time, she said she was 11 weeks pregnant — and she’s further along now.
In the video provided to us by the sheriff's office, you can hear the deputy saying he pulled Zikry's brother over for speeding.
But when Zikry arrived, things got out of hand.
In the press conference, Zikry said she was already on her way to meet her brother at the tire shop to drop off her car, but began asking questions when she saw the cruise lights.
"Don't I have a right to record it's private and public property," said Zikry.
The arrest report said the deputy told Zikry 11 times to leave the scene or she could face arrest.
In the body camera footage, you can hear the deputy referencing the new Halo Law that creates a mandatory 25-foot buffer zone around law enforcement during active duty.
Eventually, Zikry and her husband were arrested. Zikry is facing charges of child abuse, misuse of a 9-1-1 call, and for interfering with an officer while performing their duties.
After reviewing the video, a Hillsborough County Sheriff spokesperson said their “deputy acted lawfully and professionally.”
Jeffrey Swartz is a former judge with over 45 years of experience working with the criminal justice system. He says he agrees with HCSO.
"I think he was well within his rights at that point, after he warned her several times," said Swartz. "I didn't see anything abusive about it. The fact that she's pregnant does not immunize her from being arrested when there’s probable cause to do so... I did not see any harassment."
The misuse of the 9-1-1 charge came after Sandra called emergency services from the back of a police car following her arrest.
The child abuse charge was filed because her 8-year-old son was in the car during the incident. But court records show a judge later found no probable cause for that charge.
This case is still active, and you can count on ABC Action News for all the updates.
Complete Statement by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office:
We are aware of this group’s claims regarding the recent arrests. A careful review of the video and factual evidence clearly shows that our deputy acted lawfully and professionally.
During the incident, our deputy issued multiple lawful commands, which were repeatedly ignored.
In response, the deputy drew his Taser to gain compliance while awaiting backup.
The male individual then made aggressive movements and statements toward the Deputy, including “You’re lucky I don’t have a gun in my hand.”
Throughout the encounter, the deputy maintained composure and control, ensuring the safety of everyone present.
Notably, the original subject of the traffic stop can be heard pleading with his relatives to calm down and return to their vehicle, which they also ignored.
The Florida legislature passed a law to ensure a law enforcement officer's safety in dynamic encounters like this one. The law requires individuals to be 25 feet away from a law enforcement officer during an active enforcement encounter, after a verbal warning. This law is particularly important in situations like this one, where multiple bystanders are ignoring repeated commands from a lone deputy managing the scene.
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