‘Stop, For What?’: Georgia Deputies Claim They Had to Grab Black Woman by the Neck, Punch Her In the Face and Slam Her to the Ground to Defend Themselves from Verbal Insults

Georgia sheriff’s deputies claim they never choked Jozzi Rainey before punching her in the face and throwing her to the ground where she landed face-first against the asphalt, chipping a tooth and leaving her nose and mouth bloodied.  But body camera footage released last week shows Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Frederick Gray grabbing the Black woman by her neck in a firm grasp before she grabbed his arm and pushed it away from herself. Gray responded by punching her in the face and slamming her to the ground. Rainey filed a lawsuit against Gray in May, accusing him of excessive force as well as assault and battery. Jozzi Rainey is suing the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office after a deputy with a history of excessive force grabbed her by the neck before punching her in the face and slamming her to the ground. (Photo: Bibb County Body camera) But it took almost five months for the agency to release the body camera footage and only because the Macon Telegraph newspaper obtained it through a public records request. The incident took place on June 11, 2022 after Rainey was involved in a two-car accident. Bibb County Sheriff’s deputies showed up and determined...