Cheerleader, 21, charged after bodycam showed her hurled by cops

DAILYMAIL • 2h ago

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER 15:54 01 Oct 2026, updated 15:54 01 Oct 2026

An Arizona college cheerleader has been criminally charged after she was filmed being punched in the face by a police officer while she allegedly tried to intervene in an arrest.

Eryn Bonner, 21, went viral after being filmed in a late-night melee with cops on July 19 in Tempe, flying into a frenzy in a skimpy white outfit as she screamed at officers arresting her friends.

Prosecutors have now filed misdemeanor disorderly conduct and hindering/interfering with police charges against her, Tempe Municipal Court records show.

Video of the confrontation showed two police officers arresting one of Bonner’s friends after he allegedly attacked another man standing on the sidewalk outside the CASA nightclub.

Another of her friends tried to pull them apart, leading officers to hurl both men to the ground and try to place them in handcuffs.

Bonner, who is on the Arizona State University stunt team, then grabbed at one of the cops and tried to pull him off the second man, and the footage showed the officers ordering her to ‘get back’ – which she ignored.

One of the officers then turned to Bonner and pushed her to the ground, before throwing her over a bike and striking her in the face.

Witnesses could be heard pleading with the officers to stop during the struggle, as Bonner’s friends were also handcuffed and arrested on the ground.

Bonner was initially charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault on a first responder and resisting arrest, but those charges were dropped when the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute.

The City of Tempe Prosecutor’s Office filed the misdemeanor charges against Bonner on September 23.

The footage of an officer punching Bonner in the face during the incident sparked backlash on social media, as her family accused the officers of excessive force.

Bonner’s attorney, Benjamin Taylor, previously told ABC15: ‘The city of Tempe would be very vindictive to try to charge her again after they see what this officer did.’

However, Tempe Police alleged in court documents that Bonner was the first to strike one of the cops, accusing her of hitting an officer around five times before she was hit back.

Her attorney has also claimed that officers groped Bonner during the arrest.

The Tempe Officers’ Association told AZ Family that Taylor’s groping allegation is ‘inflammatory,’ and accused Bonner of trying to avoid accountability.

A Tempe Police Department spokesperson told the local news station an internal review of the incident is still ongoing.

The men Bonner was accused of trying to help were formally identified as Isaiah Johnson, 21, and Jonathan Nwariaku, 21.

Following the incident, Nwariaku is facing charges of assault and disorderly conduct, and Johnson is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Bonner has a pretrial hearing scheduled for November 4.

The Daily Mail contacted the City of Tempe Prosecutor’s Office, Tempe Police and Bonner’s attorney for comment.

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