Cobb County Police investigating use-of-force after officer hits driver during traffic stop

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Video of a violent arrest has sparked an Internal Affairs investigation in Cobb County.

A FOX 5 viewer captured the video at a Marietta Chevron station that shows an officer holding a man down while striking him during a traffic stop on Thursday. Cobb County police say there’s much more to the story than what the video shows.

Cobb County police report the man was pulled over by officers Thursday night, and the driver tried to escape. That’s when the encounter became physical.

“Everything happened so fast,” said the witness who asked to remain anonymous.

The man said the first officer got out of the car and began questioning the driver, asking him what was in his backpack. While the first officer questioned him, a second officer arrived.

Cobb County police said the driver tried to get away from officers, and that's when the situation escalated:

“Immediately the African-American cop swung the guy’s door open, and he grabbed him out of the car and slammed him to the ground causing the guy to hit his head on the white pole,” said the witness. “He had his knee in his back and he had a grip on his dreads.”

Cobb County Police eventually arrested the man but now, the Internal Affairs Department is reviewing the arrest.

Officers will review bodycam and dashcam video from the incident to determine if they will take action against the officers. 

A review by the Internal Affairs Department is routine anytime there is a possible use-of-force within the Cobb County Police Department.