Update (June 1, 2020): Two police officers who were seen using excessive force in a disturbing incident captured on a live local news broadcast on Saturday have been fired, reports HuffPost. 

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said she knew she "had only one option" after viewing body camera footage of the incident. 

In the video, a young man, who has been identified on social media as Messiah Young of Morehouse College is seen being tased repeatedly as he sits in his car. Spelman College student Taniya Pilgrim, who is sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle, is dragged out of the car by police after having a stun gun aimed at her. 

Officers also broke the vehicle's window and slashed its tires. 

Shields said officers have a responsibility not to escalate incidents.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms also spoke on the incident during a Sunday press briefing. 

"After review of that footage, Chief [Erika] Shields and I have made the determination that two of the officers involved in the incident last night will be terminated immediately," the mayor said.

“There clearly was an excessive use of force,” Bottoms continued. “We understand that our officers are working very long hours under an enormous amount of stress, but we also understand that the use of excessive force is never acceptable.”

In a report filed by one of the officers terminated, he said the initial cause for the arrest was a traffic stop, according to CBS 46. He then said he heard one of his fellow officers communicate one of the college students had a gun on them. 

"I was not sure if she or the male driver was the one suspected of possessing the handgun. I served in a back up roll to officers that were making the arrest based on a traffic stop," Investigator Mark Gardner alleged. "My purpose for deploying my Taser was to bring the female under control for which the officer I was assisting was making an arrest. I did not witness the initial traffic violation or crime under which she or her male companion were being investigated."

Bottoms ordered that the charges against Young, which consisted of attempting to flee the scene and driving with an expired license, be dropped. 

Original (May 31, 2020): The Atlanta Police Department is under scrutiny after an alarming video showed two young Black people being tased and pulled out of their car on live television.

The arrest was broadcast on Atlanta's CBS 46, and a resident recorded the television clip on their phone. A man and woman were sitting in a car when several officers surrounded the vehicle. The police opened the door and snatched the screaming woman from the passenger seat.

The man was hit by a stun gun before he was dragged from the driver’s side. The camera panned over to show the woman face down on the pavement with her arms zip-tied behind her back. As a newscaster noted, the officers broke the car’s windows and flattened its tires.

It is unclear what prompted the arrests, and the pair’s identity is unknown as of press time. The video was posted to Twitter Saturday night and garnered more than 18,000 views.

Atlanta was placed under a curfew on Saturday after chaotic protests rocked the city the night before, according to Atlanta In Town. Residents were supposed to be indoors by 9 p.m. and could not leave again until daybreak. Public transportation was also suspended early.

“I am taking the extreme step of issuing a curfew from 9 p.m. to sunrise,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “This is not to infringe on anyone’s rights, we respect each of your rights, but we cannot let what happen last night happen again.”

“Find yourself in a safe place this evening,” Bottoms continued. “Know where your children are this evening, we don’t want to arrest or detain anyone, but we will maintain order in the streets of Atlanta this evening.”

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields blamed the turmoil on a “highly calculated terrorist organization” that went undercover to disrupt the rallies.

“We know the organizers of protests in the city, but we didn’t know these people and the organizers didn’t know them either. These people weren’t here to fight for civil rights, they were here to destroy Atlanta,” Shields explained.

The night before, in the midst of the tension, Bottoms rebuked the behavior of fringe groups who ruined what began as a peaceful protest, per CNN.

"What I see happening on the streets of Atlanta is not Atlanta. This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.," Bottoms said at a press conference. "This is chaos."

The chief issued a stern warning to people inciting violence and destruction.

“To those who came here and pulled this crap, know that it won’t happen again,” Shields said. “You caught us off balance, but it won’t happen again. There will be zero tolerance for violence. I’m ready to lock people up.”

Blavity reached out to the Atlanta Police Department for comment but did not hear back.

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