Phoenix police officer Michael McGillis has a history of misconduct claims, but has never been disciplined. Here is what happened in January when he pulled over 23-year-old Mariah Valenzuela for a minor traffic violation... https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/14/revealed-phoenix-womans-brutal-police-assault-shown-on-body-camera-footage

McGillis, who was driving in his phlebotomy van (not a typical cop car), started following Mariah after he claims she entered a wrong lane. She disputes this. Mariah had left a restaurant for takeout and was headed home. She pulled over into a lot... https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=48BSlRlGXtA&feature=emb_logo

Mariah got out of her car and asked why he stopped her. McGillis didn’t answer and asked for her ID. She calmly explained she didn’t have it. Seconds later, McGillis grabbed and slammed her to the ground, pushing her face into the concrete. Mariah (5ft 2) screamed in pain + fear

He held her down as she cried: “Someone please help! I did nothing wrong sir.” She told him he was manhandling her and slamming her head.

“Why don’t you act like a young lady?” he responded.

It was 12am in a random lot.

“I was afraid. It was dark and there was no one around.”

Mariah suffered bruises and cuts in multiple places on her face, bloodshot eyes, a gash on the top of her head, injuries on her hand and leg. Some images later taken by police...

When Mariah asked Officer McGillis again why he was tackling and handcuffing her, he screamed: “You said you didn’t have any ID!”

Soon, more male cops arrived...

The policemen investigating the matter did not show much concern for Mariah, who was crying + injured. Out of her earshot, one said she was “looney tunes." Another officer who learned of the injuries instructed the cops on scene to “cover your ass” in the paperwork: "Just CYA"

Once other cops were on scene and asking Officer McGillis what happened, he began to suggest she might be intoxicated (calling it a possible DUI for the first time roughly 30 mins into the arrest). Mariah kept asking if she could go home + asking them to document her injuries.

The officers repeatedly seemed to downplay her injuries. One noted she had blood all over her hand “because she was wiping it over and over again.”

When another cop remarked about her injuries, Officer McGillis said: “She’s just going to complain to complain.”

Eventually they got a warrant to draw her blood. Her BAC and a breath test showed she was well below legal limit. (She told me she drank earlier in the day but was not intoxicated).

The officers handcuffed her (again) and took her to jail anyway, citing her for EIGHT charges:

She was charged with DUI (despite BAC below legal limit) and "driving left of center," which was her alleged offense that led to the stop.

Most seriously, she was charged with "resisting arrest" felony, accused of “creating a substantial risk of physical injury” to an officer.

Mariah spent a night in jail, in pain, trying to lie down on the floor: “I was really bruised from head to toe, everything hurt.”

Her boyfriend watched her two kids (ages 2 + 3) who were confused why she wasn't home and were upset when she returned and they saw her injured face.

The Phoenix police dept's comment on this:

Officer McGillis has never been disciplined. Additionally, "the incident was reviewed by the Professional Standards Bureau and no policy violations were found."

"The Phoenix Police Dept takes allegations of misconduct seriously"

In 2014, Officer McGillis was accused of brutalizing a young woman whose blood he was drawing, calling her a “fucking dumb bitch” + slamming her to the ground. In court, he denied the assault.. but admitted to cursing: “You have to speak their language, so they understand better”

In court, he also repeatedly called her a "little monster."

Caroline Aeed, the woman's attorney, said the comment was shocking and disturbing to her:

“The way he acts in court, in front of a judge, it makes you think, what does he do on the street when no one is watching?”

Mariah told me she gets scared when she's out alone at night now: “There was PTSD, me feeling him on my body, feeling afraid when I go out by myself."

She hasn't watched all the footage or told friends what happened, but wants the video shared: “I don’t want this to go unseen.”