A brief nighttime video from outside a Tempe club has drawn attention to an ASU Football-area arrest that is still unresolved months later. The seven-second clip shows only the physical struggle, leaving the earlier moments off camera.
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Eryn Kelise Bonner, then 21 and an Arizona State senior on the ASU Stunt Devils, appears in the first part of the clip standing near officers in uniforms as they are trying to get hold of a person on the ground. This part of the clip ends with an officer shoving her aside.
The second part of the footage catches Bonner being taken down onto or beside a bicycle marked Tempe Police, then restrained on the pavement with bystanders nearby. At the end of the clip, a police officer can be seen punching Bonner in the face while trying to restrain her.
The scene took place around 1:40 a.m. on July 19, 2026, outside the C.A.S.A. nightclub near Sixth Street. Bonner was with Isaiah Johnson, 21, and Jonathan Nwariaku, 21. One of the men got into a physical altercation with another person standing on the curb. Tempe bicycle officers intervened and began detaining the men. Bonner allegedly walked up and yelled, “Let him go.” She later said she believed the man had nothing to do with the fight.
Police accounts say officers told her repeatedly to “get back.” Body-camera descriptions and records claim she allegedly tried to pull officers off one of the detainees after those warnings. In the struggle, she and an officer fell over the police bicycle. Records state she allegedly yelled profanities and kept refusing commands while the officer tried to restrain her.
Those same records allege Bonner struck the officer in the face five to six times and scratched him while he was on top of her. Police describe his response as one strike to her face to stop the assault and gain control.
Bonner’s attorney disputes the number of strikes. Attorney Benjamin Taylor argues the force was excessive and that officers never tried to de-escalate, as reported by the New York Post. He says she was pushed, tackled onto the bicycle, and struck multiple times. Taylor has also pointed to a video that appears to show a hand on her b—ocks and called the contact inappropriate.
Tempe police opened their own review right after the arrest. The department “initiated a thorough administrative investigation to determine whether the officer’s actions were consistent with Tempe Police Department policy, training, and our core values of Professionalism, Excellence, and Compassion.”
The department said the review would also examine everyone involved. “That review will include the actions of everyone involved in the incident and the totality of the circumstances our officers faced.”
Later statements noted the case “is currently under administrative review. The video of the incident, along with all other available evidence, will be carefully evaluated as part of that process,” and that the department “takes every allegation of officer misconduct seriously.”
According to the New York Post, Bonner was first booked on suspicion of aggravated assault on a first responder and resisting arrest, both felonies. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined those charges, saying there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. Tempe then moved the case to the city court.
An earlier misdemeanor filing was dismissed so prosecutors could look at more evidence. In late September, Tempe City Court records listed two pending counts. Disorderly conduct classified as fighting, hindering or interfering with police. The legal shift has not eased the personal side of the case.
“There are no words to fully describe the heartbreak of watching our daughter being hurt by someone entrusted to protect and serve our community. The hardest thing is seeing the pain and sadness in her eyes that we cannot take away.”
The family said public servants must meet the highest standards while emphasizing that criticism is about public trust rather than hostility toward police.
“We respectfully ask for your prayers and support as our daughter and our family continue to heal,” the statement read.
Tempe Officers Association president Rob Ferraro said full body-camera and video “tell a far different story than the snippet of video posted to Facebook.” Ferraro noted officers cannot ignore someone who disobeys commands and enters an encounter. The union has also said the internal review must be allowed to finish first.
That review itself has led to another criticism. It is being led in part by Sgt. Kevin Ameiss, who received a 2020 suspension tied to supervisory concerns. Taylor has asked the Tempe City Council to remove Ameiss and hand the case to an outside agency. City officials say internal investigations go through multiple layers, and they have declined further comment.
Arizona law sets a notice-of-claim deadline around mid-January 2027. Bonner’s case stays open in Tempe Municipal Court, with a pre-trial set for November 4 and no trial date yet.