A retired police officer will not be charged for slapping a woman at Miami International Airport in June 2020, according to a memo from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office obtained by The Miami Herald.
Officer Antonio Clemente Rodriguez, who was seen hitting a woman in a video that went viral last year, was cleared of all charges.
The police department described the slap as a “distraction strike” to get the woman under control and concluded there is insufficient evidence to charge the officer.
According to the memo, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office decided to not charge Rodriguez with misdemeanor battery on Oct 1. The decision not to charge him was made public on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said that Rodriguez’s actions constituted “justifiable use of force” under Florida’s self-defense law after the woman, Paris Anderson, initiated the altercation and entered his physical space, according to the Herald.
They added the woman taunted him and her forehead “may have touched” his chin area.
