Newly surfaced police bodycam video is drawing widespread attention after it showed a confrontation between University of Central Florida (UCF) campus officers and a former student that ended in pepper spray, a Taser, and an arrest.
What the Footage Shows
The footage, from February 5, 2025, was posted this month by a YouTube channel that shares police bodycam video, more than a year after the incident occurred.
It shows Jarrett Vick, 27, who uses she/her pronouns, in a heated exchange with UCF police officers who had responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on campus. Officers encountered Vick inside a campus building during an unrelated dispute involving several younger people on the property.
According to the footage, tensions rose after an officer referred to Vick using pronouns she said did not match her identity. Vick repeatedly asked the officer to stop, saying the mislabeling was causing her distress, while an officer warned her to lower her voice and radioed for backup, describing the situation as a student having a breakdown.
As the confrontation escalated, an officer instructed Vick to get on the ground and deployed pepper spray. Vick tried to flee and continued to protest being misgendered as a university staff member attempted, unsuccessfully, to de-escalate the situation. Officers ultimately used a Taser and physically restrained Vick before placing her in handcuffs and removing her from the building.
Charges, Case Outcome and Fallout
Vick was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, according to Orange County court records. She pleaded not guilty, and the case was closed roughly a year later.
UCF confirmed Vick was enrolled as a student in spring 2025 but is no longer affiliated with the university. The officers involved were employed by UCF police. Vick has not responded to requests for comment from several outlets, though she previously told the New York Post she felt harassed both by police during the arrest and by media coverage since.
The footage has reignited debate over how police are trained to handle emotionally charged encounters involving gender identity. Critics argue the response reflects inadequate de-escalation training, while others contend officers were focused on managing a rapidly destabilizing situation rather than navigating a dispute over pronouns.
The case has also become a flashpoint in broader arguments over transgender rights and law enforcement conduct on college campuses, with commentators on differing sides using the video to support opposing narratives about policing and gender identity in America.
No further legal action appears to be pending in the case as of this week.
