DeWitt officer who punched woman placed on leave; 2 women charged

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A DeWitt police officer who punched a handcuffed woman has been placed on paid administrative leave as the department investigates the incident, according to department spokesman Lt. Jerry Pace.

DeWitt police body cam footage and a bystander video show officer Rory Spain hit the woman when she tried to bite him as he tried to arrest her.

“Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known and the investigation is complete,” Pace said.

In an unusual move, DeWitt police created a 15-minute, narrated video of the incident using clips from different officers’ body cameras, store surveillance cameras and a bystander’s phone.

The incident happened at about 4:55 p.m. July 4 at the East Syracuse Walmart on Basile Row.

Officers were dispatched to the store for a report of fighting among five to six people and had been told “employees were being threatened, struck in the face and that customers had also been pepper sprayed,” Pace said.

Tyreana Edmonds, the woman who was hit, faces several charges stemming from the altercation with other people in the store, police said. She also has been charged with second-degree attempted assault of a police officer for trying to bite Spain, police said.

Another woman who Edmonds identified in the video as her sister, Tajenik Byrd, has also been charged. Pace said Byrd used pepper spray during the argument with other people in the store.

According to body-worn camera footage posted by the DeWitt Police Department, a man at the entrance of Walmart directed Spain to two women the man alleged were involved in the reported fight.

Store surveillance shows the earlier altercation that lasts about 30 seconds. In the video’s narration, Pace said Byrd pepper sprayed another woman. Byrd can be seen pointing something in her hand at another woman in the store. The woman then covers her face and moves her children away from the area.

As Spain walked toward Edmonds, she could be seen in the footage arguing with another customer. Spain grabbed Edmonds’ arm from behind and began to handcuff her.

Byrd approached the officer and tried to pull Edmonds away.

“Get off my sister,” Byrd said.

“Leave him,” Edmonds said. “... Let him cuff me.”

As Spain tries to arrest Edmonds, another person said to the officer that Byrd had used pepper spray during an earlier altercation.

“They tried to charge my sister,” Edmonds said in response to the woman. “They jumped my sister two days ago. My sister’s a month pregnant.”

Officer Corey Buyck later swung Byrd to the ground and straddled Byrd as he handcuffed her.

Customers circled the officers and yelled at them as they tried to arrest Edmonds and Byrd. Spain eventually pulled his taser out.

As Spain tried to arrest Edmonds, she slumped to the ground and kicked a display of plastic boxes. He dragged Edmonds by her handcuffs and one leg, video shows. She turned her head to try to bite Spain, who then punched her in the face.

Edmonds was charged with:

Second-degree attempted assault of a police officer
Obstruction of governmental administration
Resisting arrest
Fourth-degree criminal mischief
Disorderly conduct
Second-degree harassment
Byrd was charged with:

Third-degree assault
Fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon
Endangering the welfare of a child
Possession of a noxious material
Obstruction of governmental administration
Resisting arrest
Both women were later released on appearance tickets.

A protest of about 25 people was held Friday night in the parking lot of the DeWitt Police Department.

Rebirth SYR leader Hasahn Bloodworth said he organized the protest to hold law enforcement accountable.

As the protest was coming to a close, at least three vehicles entered and began circling the parking lot. One protester said he felt the people in the vehicles were attempting to intimidate them.

One woman in an SUV parked in the lot, left her vehicle and began yelling at the remaining protesters as they were leaving. There was a brief argument between the woman and the protesters, but she eventually returned to her SUV and left the lot.