Violent Chester police confrontation caught on video

CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) -- A violent confrontation between a Chester City police officer and a female suspect was caught on camera.

It was all caught on camera by at least two different witnesses who provided video to Action News. The video shows a Chester City police officer sitting on a woman's chest, striking her at least seven times, and then shocking her with a Taser repeatedly.

"I feel like this man came to the scene with anger. He came at her with complete aggression. He did not give her no chance," said one witness.

The first witness asked for her face not to be show, the other witness would only speak off camera. Both videos do not show what sparked the beating.

Police were called to 9th and Kerlin streets in Chester early Sunday morning for reports of a woman with a knife.

"She was yelling, chasing the guy I guess who stole her pocket book and was saying, 'You are going to give me my money back,' with a knife. She never touched nobody with it. It was a lot of her yelling and running around," said the witness.

Chester police would not say if the woman threatened the officer with a knife, only that one was recovered from the scene.

"The cop pulled up. She had her keys in her hand, but she did not have a knife. She had thrown the knife. He threw himself on top of her, she was very agitated as you can see, she was drunk clearly, and angry, but she didn't have no weapon coming towards him, she ran from him," said the witness.

The two accounts given to Action News paint a picture of an officer who continued to assault and tase the woman, even at one point, after she appeared to stop resisting arrest.

"He is yelling, 'You want to fight!' And he is telling her to get on her back," said the witness.

This witness says the officer pinned the suspect down with his legs while punching her in the face, and then she says he tased the woman in her neck.

"He didn't have to keep shocking her like that. That is how I feel. Once he realized there were other officers pulling up, his aggression started slowing down a whole lot," said the witness.

Police confirmed they are now investigating the incident. As for the woman, she was charged with assault and related charges, but police would not release her name.

Police have also not released the officer's name or his status while the incident is under investigation.