61-year-old woman speaks out on rough arrest at Florida mobile home park’s management office caught on video
Video posted to social media captured a rough takedown of a woman after
By Joe Roetz, Jessica Vallejo, Kevin Boulandier, Julian Quintana
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SWEETWATER, Florida (WSVN) — Video posted to social media captured a rough takedown of a woman after, police said, she refused to leave a Sweetwater mobile home park management office following a dispute with employees.
Speaking with 7News in Spanish Thursday, 61-year-old Vivian Hernandez showed her injuries.
“They threw me head first and even broke the sunglasses on my face,” she said.
According to Sweetwater Police, officers arrived Wednesday at the Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park, located at 11239 NW 4th Terrace, in response to reports of an unruly resident.
Once at the scene, officers found Hernandez, who said she was at the building to drop off her rent check.
When Hernandez went to deliver her check, she said she asked an employee if she had to make out the check to the owners of the trailer park, Urban Group. The employee told her to make it out to Li’l Abner, which is what residents have been doing in the past.
That’s when, police said, Hernandez got upset.
According to a witness, Hernandez voiced her concerns to the redevelopment and ongoing demolition of the mobile home park.
The frustration arose due to a recent announcement that the 900 tenants at the mobile home park will need to vacate the property by May 2025 because the area will be closing down due to developmental plans.
As Hernandez and the employee continued to argue, Hernandez admitted to officers that she started to speak loudly and began to yell at employees. She claimed she never made a threat.
A representative from Urban Group then told her to calm down or leave the property, which Hernandez refused to do. A crowd then started to form.
According to the arrest report, Hernandez refused to leave the building and was sitting in a chair.
An officer then grabbed her arm as he attempted to lead her out of the building but she turned around and tried to go back to her seat.
In the video, the officer then grabbed her and she started to pull back, which prompted him to take her down on the floor.
Hernandez was eventually handcuffed and arrested.
She told 7News the police did not listen to her as she was only writing a check.
“Without knowing the two sides of the problem,” said Hernandez. “I’m doing nothing wrong. This is a waste of time.”
She said she has headaches now as a result of the altercation and remains upset.
“I’m really in shock,” she said.
Hernandez was charged with disorderly conduct/breach of peace, trespassing property after a warning, and resisting an officer without violence to their person. She has since been released from jail.
In a statement, Hernandez’s attorney, David Winker, said:
Why are Sweetwater Police Officers acting as security guards at a private business? Why is a 61-year-old being body slammed at a meeting she was asked to attend?
Fire rescue crews also arrived at the scene after Hernandez complained she was experiencing pain in her back and left eye. She refused to be transported to the hospital for treatment and was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade.
Sweetwater Police and Sweetwater Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz released the following joint statement:
“We are aware of the arrest circulating on social media involving one of our Sweetwater Police Officers. The preliminary information reveals that the officer was summoned to the administrative office in reference to a disturbance. An altercation ensued causing the officer to take police action, which resulted in an arrest. This is an unfortunate situation for all. However, as part of our Use of Force policy, my command staff will conduct a thorough review of the incident to ensure all legal guidelines were met.”
On Thursday night, Sweetwater Police released the entire body camera video footage, along with the office’s surveillance video.
The incident has furthered ignited anger as displacement of hundreds of residents looms.
Police are still investigating this incident.
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