Arizona cheerleader charged after intervening in police arrests

Arizona State University cheerleader Eryn Bonner, 21, has been charged with misdemeanour offences following a confrontation with police outside a Tempe nightclub on 19 July. The charges—disorderly conduct and hindering/interfering with police—were filed after she allegedly attempted to intervene when officers arrested her friends, resulting in footage showing an officer punching her in the face. The case has sparked debate over police conduct after her initial felony charges were dropped by prosecutors.

The incident began when police responded to an assault allegation outside a nightclub, and as officers arrested one of Bonner's acquaintances, she attempted to pull an officer away from a second man being arrested. When ordered to "get back," Bonner reportedly refused, leading an officer to push her to the ground and strike her in the face. Police allege Bonner struck an officer approximately five times before being hit; her attorney has countered that officers used excessive force and claims she was groped during the arrest. Bonner's friends were also arrested, and she has a pretrial hearing scheduled for 4 November.