The young woman whose violent arrest on a Wildwood beach went viral earlier this summer has been indicted on charges including two counts of aggravated assault of a police officer.
Emily Weinman was 20 on Memorial Day Weekend when a seasonal police officer tried to write her a municipal citation for underage possession of alcohol while she was sitting on the beach with unopened containers of alcohol she said belonged to her aunt.
When she refused to give her name so he could write the summons, Patrolman Thomas Cannon took her to the ground and punched her twice in the head. Bystander video of the punches went viral.
Amid an outcry about the use of force, police released body camera video of the incident. It showed the officer telling her that she was "about to get dropped" as she backed away and put her hands up, at which point the camera ceased recording. The camera then recorded the two struggling on the ground.
Authorities also allege she spit at the officers, but her attorney, Stephen Dicht, has said she was spitting sand out of her mouth after being pinned down on her face.
What are seasonal officers and what are they allowed to do?
On Tuesday, a Cape May County grand jury indicted Weinman, now 21, on two counts of aggravated assault on police officers and one count each of resisting arrest, throwing bodily fluids, and obstruction, according to a court official.
The viral video sparked heated debate about whether the young woman or Patrolmen Cannon and Robert Jordan -- seasonal special officers hired for the busy summer season -- were the ones responsible for what happened.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announced June 5 that the officers would not face criminal charges in relation to the arrest.
Dicht, who could not be reached for comment Monday, previously said the incident left Weinman, the mother of a toddler, with injuries and depression, and the attention made her a "prisoner in her home" in Philadelphia.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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