Woman Who Punched Baltimore Police Officer Won't See Jail Time

BALTIMORE, MD – The woman who was captured on police body camera video punching a Baltimore police officer will not see jail time after she pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on Monday and was sentenced to probation.

Sharnesha Street, 43, was sentenced two years’ probation and received a fully suspended jail sentence after entering the two guilty pleas. Street punched Baltimore Police Sgt. Greg Higley twice during an altercation on May 29 before another officer, Terry Love, Jr., punched her from behind and knocked her to the ground. The video, which was initially caught by a bystander at the time when protests were happening following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, went viral before Baltimore Police released the body camera footage and ordered an internal investigation into the matter.

The Baltimore State Attorney’s Office released a report shortly after the incident stating it would not seek charges against Love after it was determined the officer did not use excessive force against Street while coming to the Higley's aid. The report also stated that Street attempted to hit Higley twice with her car. The report did, however, maintain that the State’s Attorney’s Office does not condone the officer’s actions.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Street’s attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon, said that his client’s case has been moved to Maryland’s State Mental Health Courts, which prioritizes cases involving defendants that suffer from mental illness.

Gordon characterized Street as being in “great spirits” and was coming home on Monday, according to The Sun, which also reported that Gordon plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against Love.

“We can’t let him get away with that,” Gordon said, according to the newspaper. “There has to be some level of accountability.”