Viral Video Shows Arizona Cheerleader Slammed and Punched by Police
Left 100%
Center 0%
Right 0%
2 left · 0 center · 0 right
What happened
On July 19 in Tempe, Arizona, bicycle patrol officers intervened after a man accompanying Arizona State University student and cheerleader Eryn Bonner, 21, knocked pizza boxes from another person's hands. Officers tackled the men involved; Bonner approached, was told to back up, and was shoved to the ground. She returned toward an officer, was tackled, and during the scuffle an officer appeared to punch her in the face; released video also shows an officer's hand on her buttocks while she was restrained. The Maricopa County attorney declined to charge Bonner; the city of Tempe later charged her with disorderly conduct and interfering with police, both misdemeanors. Bonner filed a sexual assault complaint with police internal affairs, the department said the incident remains under investigation, and she faces a Nov. 4 hearing.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 3 articles
2 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 2
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Ben Crump, Lee Merritt, Maricopa County attorney and Benjamin Taylor
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 2 of 2
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: video
- Credits another outlet 0 of 2
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 2
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 7, 22:25 UTC by NBC News, naming its source. First document in the first report, from NBC News (video).
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Fox News reported it on 2026-10-05.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage at NBC News is the only national account of Tempe police shoving Arizona State cheerleader Eryn Bonner and appearing to punch her. Right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication. Left-leaning coverage reports she was shoved after being told to back up, then tackled when she returned. A companion had knocked pizza boxes from a bystander's hands moments earlier. It also reports a sexual assault complaint over contact with her buttocks during cuffing, and city misdemeanor charges after the county declined. Readers of the silent side miss the force on video and the scuffle that started the arrest.
Left-leaning coverage leads with a civil rights attorney asking whether officers "must prioritize restraint," while the pizza-box knock sits farther down the same story.
Why did the county attorney decline charges that the city later filed?
Bottom line
Right-leaning outlets have not reported the Tempe video, so only NBC News readers see an officer appearing to punch Eryn Bonner and the pizza-box knock that started the arrest.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- An officer shoved Eryn Bonner to the ground and appears to punch her in the face during the scuffle
- After the shove, Bonner returned toward the officer yelling "You want to punch a bitch?" before she was tackled
- While officers tried to cuff her, another officer put his hand on her buttocks and appears to squeeze
- The police department said the city prosecutor's charges were not made in response to allegations regarding groping
- Bonner's attorney said the misdemeanor charges were filed after her sexual assault complaint and believes they are retaliation
The Left View
NBC News has given the viral video national attention, quoting civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, who questioned whether the force was warranted and whether Bonner posed an immediate threat, and noting photos of bruises under her eyes. Coverage describes the shove that sent her to the ground, her return yelling at the officer, the tackle, an apparent punch, and video of an officer appearing to squeeze her buttocks. Outlets report her attorney, Benjamin Taylor, arguing the city's misdemeanor charges were filed after her sexual assault complaint and amount to retaliation, while police and the city say charges followed a thorough evidence review unrelated to groping allegations. The reporting also covers Taylor's call to remove Sgt. Kevin Ameiss from the internal probe over a prior incident and to shift the investigation to an outside agency; police say Ameiss is on a team led by a lieutenant with multiple layers of review.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it rests on named people, a specific date and place, police-released video, filed charges, an internal-affairs complaint, and on-the-record statements from both Bonner's lawyer and Tempe officials. Established facts include the July 19 encounter, the video of the shove, tackle, and apparent punch, the county attorney's decision not to charge Bonner, the city's later misdemeanor charges, and her sexual-assault complaint. What remains alleged is whether the force was necessary, whether an officer groped her, whether the charges were retaliatory, and whether the internal investigation is compromised. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the Nov. 4 hearing, internal-affairs findings, any independent review, and additional unedited video or official use-of-force determinations.
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