An Anne Arundel woman was arrested outside a Bel Air bar Thursday for allegedly assaulting two town police officers, one of whom responded with a verbal outburst caught on a video clip which has surfaced this week.
Ariel Williams-Lewis, 23, of Davidsonville is charged with four counts of second-degree assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, failing to obey the instructions of an officer and trespassing in connection with the incident, which occurred just before midnight Thursday at Looney’s Pub in Bel Air.
The video was shot by a bar patron and posted on YouTube Saturday. By Tuesday evening it had garnered more than 17,500 views and three dozen comments on its original posting, and appeared on several social media sites.
In the video, a town officer is shown arresting a woman on several charges not depicted in the clip. As she is hauled to her feet, the woman appears to spit on the officer, who responds by telling her, “You f–king spit on me, I’ll knock your f–king teeth out…f–king shitbag.”
)
Calls for comment to the Bel Air Police Department and town commissioner chairman Robert Reier were not returned as of Tuesday evening. Edward Hopkins, the town commissioner in charge of overseeing the police department, said the town was aware of the video and was looking into the incident, but declined further comment.
“The video is but a short clip of what occurred,” Hopkins told The Dagger. “It would be inappropriate for me to comment, despite the video, without knowing the full story of what took place. I know that Chief [Leo] Matrangola is aware of the video. I’m also aware there is a process in place to fully investigate situations such as these. He told me he’s looking into the incident and I would prefer to have all sides to what occurred before making any comment.”
According to documents filed in Harford County District Court by Bel Air police, Williams-Lewis allegedly became involved in a physical altercation with a man at the bar, and was escorted from the premises. Police said she returned a short time later and was again removed from the bar by its security staff. Once outside, police said she kicked a member of the bar’s security and squeezed his wrist “with such force it removed skin and blood.”
When Bel Air police responded to the scene, Williams-Lewis directed foul language at the officers and slapped one across the face. She allegedly resisted arrest and, once handcuffed, spit at a second town officer. According to court documents, she was taken to the Harford County Detention Center where she continued to “act violently” and spit on a corrections officer. The latter incident resulted in additional charges of second-degree assault and fourth-degree sex offense; details of those charges were not immediately available from District Court records.
According to Harford County Sheriff’s Office records, Williams-Lewis was held on $50,000 bond.
The officers should be commended for not punching her in the mouth. Spitting on someone is one of the most vile things someone can do. They showed great restraint in the video.
Great physical restraint showed by officers… spitting, slapping, kicking, breaking skin causing bleeding. Etc.. hope officers & security get blood tested…CV, AIDS, etc
Slapped, spit on, and verbally abused, yet our society will probably favor the drunken town idiot. Shame on these officers for being so mean to her, she seemed like such a sweetheart. Handy dandy rule of thumb, if you spit on someone with a gun and handcuffs, whatever comes next, you probably deserve.
While I can understand why the officer would be outraged, he really needs to work harder to control his temper and his potty mouth. The court will do it’s job now and the officer should do his best to maintain his professional integrity on the future.
I think the officer DID work hard to control his temper. She does that to me and she is rolling on the ground looking for her teeth. Nice job officer, you are a better man then me.
A little insight into the real world; she’s lucky it was a police officer she spit on because a regular person might have just beat the ever loving shit out of her and left her drunk ass laying there. In retrospect, this video and story is a testament to just how much abuse police have to put up with just to keep the public order. Average joe or jane doesn’t have to worry about carrying home some scumbags bodily fluids home from their climate controlled cubical. But, as I’ve stated before, until you do the job, you have no idea how mentally and physically tasking it is.
…and the Chief will forget words he used when he was a Baltimore County officer towards drunk and disorderly bar patrons yet these officers will probably face internal discourteous charges. As far as I am concerned, they handle the situation well. Words are just that, words. GOOD JOB BEL AIR PD OFFICERS on this incident.
Wow…what a drunken bitch.
Kudos to the officers for remaining calm and not punching her in the mouth. I see nothing wrong with what he said to her afterwards.
I’m also impressed that someone filming an arrest was actually pro-police and says right out “She f*ed up. This isn’t going to help her case at all.” Usually it’s some wanker ranting about excessive force and gestapo cops, etc.
The disturbing part is the woman that was trying to keep the video from being shot. It looks like the same person that tried to physically block the camera first.
Person trying to block the camera and insisting it be turnedn off was the bartender. She was ordered to do so by the manager Nick because they “dont want to look bad” Loonies is a ghetto crap holem
Another incident at Loonys. Perhaps if they would stop over serving people we would not have these problems. But when the owner is the most intoxicated person in the bar its no wonder. I remember an incident when a police officer was hit by a driver and dragged across the parking lot.
Coming from a fired employee I am sure. Looney’s is the most successful Restaurant in the history of Bel Air for a reason. Obviously you hold a lot of jealousy towards them.
It certainly has done better than Ropewalk/Green Turtle/Dark Horse. Hopefully the Oyster House can turn it around.
What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like that?
School over Christmas…..NO CLASS! No class on both sides. They should both be reprimanded by the law and rules of the job accordingly. You engage in a verbal assault with the perpetrator while expecting her to calm down? Spit or not! Doesn’t make much sense to me.
its a bar, restaurant…I go there all the time, drink ice tea and dont’ spit on police officers…so what’s the problem?
The only thing missing from this TMZ report is somebody shouting “WORLDSTAR”. yawn
Looney’s parking lot isn’t in Edgewood.
I thought the police carried those spit hoods, if they don’t they should. Putting one on her would really make her look like an idiot. Ship her a$$ back to Anne Arundel county with the rest of the yo’s
The officer apparently was attempting to communicate in the language that a drunken scumbag POS might understand in an attempt to get her to comply with his orders. If he had used that language while writing a jaywalker with a child in a stroller then it would have been inappropriate.
So what…this chick had her feelings hurt because the cop swore at her? Her right to not hear the f-word while resisting arrest was violated?
My thoughts on this can be best summed up by paraphrasing a man who best exemplifies American police work at its finest, Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan:
“Well I’m all broken up about that woman’s rights!”
White cop tells Black woman he will knock her fucking teeth out. Wow. Cant wait for the Rev Sharpton to get this one.
I didn’t see what color she was, all I know was she was seriously resisting arrest and doing everything in her power to give the officer a hard time. Didi you hear him say anything else to lead you to believe he recognized what color she was?
Thank God for the video and God bless the officers who had to deal with this POS. If the video was not available it could be her word (which would be backed by the American liberal media) against the police who were just doing their job. Her slant might be that she was leaving a prayer meeting and happened to stop on the parking lot of Looney’s when these white cops, for no reason at all, violently assaulted her and violated her civil rights. Kind of like poor Trayvon walking down the street minding his own affairs….yea right. Without the video these officers could have been put through a living hell. It has been my experience in many cases that claims of racial prejudice regarding legitimate police practices are the last desperate acts of many a guilty criminal. When there is no defense claim racial foul.
Wait until St. Patrick’s Day! All the bars will be ramped up. You couldn’t get me within five miles of Bel Air.
If you don’t want to be treated like shitbag, don’t act like a shitbag! 🙂
Officers are held to a higher standard for a reason. This is the person that your community intrusts to make split second decisions on weather to use lethal force. She should have been hooded her for the officers’ safety and charges should reflect her assault. However, if you can not remain calm, you can not stay in control. There is no excuse for the threat or language. The priority should always be de-escalation. I see some more training in this officer’s future. Allowing a sh1tbag like this to get the best of you is a bad move.
Officers are held to a higher standard than the general public, but they are human. Sometimes a persons emotion just peaks and humans utter words they don’t normally say in certain circumstances. This appears to be one of those occasions.
Jesse Bane doesn’t put up with this nonsense from his officers.
There is nothing nonsensical about what the officers did. They arrested someone who was acting in a disorderly manner, and used inappropriate language while doing it.
Since you know what Jesse would not do, please tell us what he would do. Would he fire these officers? Send them for additional training? Have them counseled by their supervisor? What would Jesse do?
If we are giving a pass to the officers for using foul language because they are riled up. Should we not give a pass to the young lady who is clearly intoxicated?
As a long time employee of the school system I can tell you that that kind of language has become commonplace among 12-30 year olds. They’re bombarded with it in music, movies and video games and unfortunately are desensitized to it’s use. Walk the halls of any high school and you would cringe at what you hear coming out of those sweet little mouths…language and content! I always tell students if it wasn’t part of your normal vocabulary it wouldn’t slip out unconsciously and they need to clean up their act. Some apologize but too many just roll their eyes.
Hopefully instead of a reprimand which will only cause him and other officers to pick sides, the officer will get some additional training on de-escalating instead of reacting personally in altercations.
No doubt the person being arrested in this Youtube video is a prime example of what Public School’s are graduating, I agree with you there.
not limited to public schools!!!!!
@Ralph McGumstein says….I find your comment offensive…foul language is not a product of the public schools but what teachers have to deal with every day as they scream it to each other in the halls or forget who they’re talking to and blurt it out in classrooms. They also learn it at home- As for it being a ‘prime example of what Public School’s are graduating’ … you should deal with the poor attitudes and hear some of the language parents think it’s okay to use when you call home for an infraction. I know of no teacher in my school that doesn’t reprimand when they hear it-but we can only do so much.
Uh, what? I am agreeing with you, user “Trying hard not to give up.” You’re right, the schools are graduating vulgar vocabulary language orientated misbehaving students. What else are you attempting to imply?
“foul language is not a product of the public schools but what teachers have to deal with every day as they scream it to each other in the halls or forget who they’re talking to and blurt it out in classrooms.”
It appears you also have a reading comprehension problem. The school’s are graduating these people, regardless of where the “vulgar language” comes from. Not once in my reply did I suggest this language is coming from school.
Don’t bother hitting “reply” and typing up another paragraph telling me “how it is,” I could really care less.
You’re giving ‘trying hard not to give up’ a hard time about the schools when they got defensive, yet you are the one who brought up public schools into a story about a 23 year old woman (not a student!) who displayed unacceptable behavior. I looked twice and still couldn’t find a reference to the high school they graduated from.
Small wonder that my friends that are teachers are tired of people like you who are always ready to jump up and place blame on teachers or the school system.
User “Watching HarCo spiral down….” It also appears you have a reading comprehension problem as well. Where did anyone blame the school system for this person’s behavior?
“Prime example of what Public school’s are graduating.” In the literal sense as the content was meant to be taken is the fact that this person represents what school’s are graduating (As referenced earlier by user “Trying hard not to give up” see: ‘Trying hard not to give up ‘). No where does this imply the school’s are responsible for this person’s behavior.
The quote by user “Trying Hard not to give up” is as follows; “Walk the halls of any high school and you would cringe at what you hear coming out of those sweet little mouths…language and content! I always tell students if it wasn’t part of your normal vocabulary. ”
These people graduate eventually, and hence, this is what the school’s are graduating.
You can twist the meaning to your agenda, but it’s taken out of context into your own day dream reality of what you want it to mean.
I read in the Aegis this fine example of what not to be was still going strong when she got to prison. SHe apparently got into a wrestling match with an officer and grabbed his junk. Another officer had to punch her to get her to let go. What a fine upstanding member of society she is.
Sad thing is, she will get 10 hours of community service, while the officer will get 100 hours of sensitivity training.
Hope she got some jailhouse justice.
Just watched the video…is the guy filming the incident or the bartenders ass?
What is not shown is the officer calling her a nigger off camera? Racially motivated or not?
If the shoe fits
And what is your understanding of that word? Any culturally educated person understands that it is a word used by whites to suppress, intimidate, and harass black people- the same people whose ancestors built this country from the ground up. I’m sure your just some redneck from harford county but please keep in mind black is the new cool to YOUR kids. Every 12-15 year old white girl in harford county is shaking her flat ass to lil Wayne and Drake hoping that she might catch a black baby daddy in the future. And for people like me the satisfaction and laughter comes from the fact that the race that was once at the bottom is now the model for your kids popular kid. Now how y’all children gonna build that “great” aryan nation if their busy saggin their pants, getting dreads and cornrows, and doin the dougie? Ha! All things will come full circle my friend. Whites ARE becoming the minority. Just watch who you offend now, boy.
I believe your the most racist person here…..