Cop Accused Of Tasering A Woman Out On Bond

A former Miami Gardens police officer accused of using excessive force during the arrest of a Black woman has bonded out of jail. 

Jordy Martel was caught on cell phone video Tasering 32-year-old Safiya Satchell and putting his knee on her neck outside of Tootsie’s Cabaret earlier this year in January 2020. Martel was finally arrested on Thursday (June 25,) fired from the police force and is facing felony charges of battery and official misconduct.

Satchell was arrested after a confrontation with Tootsie’s staff in the cabaret club’s parking lot. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle says Martel, who was working security detail that night, went too far.

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“Martel allegedly used excessive force by putting his knee on Ms. Satchell’s neck. He went into Sacthell’s car without any evidence that she had committed a crime,” said Fernandez-Rundle.

The video of the shocking incident shows Martel reaching into Satchell’s car to which Satchell replied, “Don’t reach into my car.” He then appeared to pull out a Taser to use on her.

Now Satchell and her attorney are speaking out about the confrontation. 

“The days of shuffling aside these videos of police misconduct are soon behind us as a community and a nation,” Satchell’s attorney Jonathan Jordan said in a statement. “We are pleased to see swift action taken by the authorities against this former officer.”

“At that moment, I didn’t know if I was being shot or tased,” said Satchell to CBS Miami 4. 

This isn’t the first time Martel has been accused of misconduct on the job. In another cell phone video, Martel was shown struggling with a man in March in an unrelated case at a Miami Gardens RaceTrac gas station. Through his attorney, Martel said, “we intend to enter a plea of not guilty. He is innocent and we will prove that when we go to court.”

All charges against Satchell have been dropped.