Clarence Yates, punched by SA police officer during arrest, pleads not guilty to assault
A man has pleaded not guilty to spitting at an SA Police officer, who was filmed punching him during the arrest.
Police & Courts
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A man accused of spitting at a police officer – before the officer was filmed striking him in the face – has pleaded not guilty to assault.
Clarence Rahana Yates is standing trial in Christies Beach Magistrates Court for allegedly spitting at Senior Constable Ben Higgins in July 2019
Police prosecutors allege the southern suburbs man, 23, assaulted the officer by spitting at him during an arrest for suspected graffiti vandalism at Woodcroft.
The court was shown footage from the body camera of another officer, Amanda Pinyon.
She told Magistrate Teresa Anderson she was called to the job and saw three men walking near where an offence of graffiti vandalism had been reported.
Ms Pinyon said when the men spotted the police car, they ran into a house on States Road.
She said Yates was found “hiding” behind a trailer in the front yard.
Ms Pinyon called for more patrols to come to the scene when Yates became verbally aggressive.
“I noticed he had blue spray-paint on both his hands,” she told the court.
Senior Constable Higgins arrived and placed handcuffs on Yates.
Police prosecutor Cara Bailey said Yates “hocked up spit” from his throat and spat it close to the officer.
Separate footage taken by friends of Yates, also played in court, shows Senior Constable Higgins retaliate and strike Yates in the face.
Ms Pinyon’s body-worn camera did not capture the alleged spitting or retaliatory strike.
She said the incident was quick.
“From that point it all happened quickly and I realised Clarence was being taken to the ground,” she said
But the body cam did capture Yates’s reaction, where he claimed he did not intentionally spit at Senior Constable Higgins.
“He f**king hit me,” Yates said.
“What the f**k did I do? I put my hands up like you told me to.”
The footage shows Ms Pinyon replied: “You spat.”