Public outrage over police conduct and the amount of force used during the arrest of a pregnant Black woman has shed light on a new revelation about the officer involved. Viral clips of the May 22 incident have circulated online in recent days, drawing attention to the ongoing police investigation and the now-retired member of the force.

Former Boca Raton police officer Matthew McNichol and his partner responded to a call about a possible domestic dispute at a Mobil gas station two months ago. When they arrived on the scene, they encountered Nerillia Laurent and her boyfriend, Harry Hardy. Laurent, who was around five months pregnant at the time, confirmed to ABC 25 that she and Hardy were involved in a heated disagreement after the car stalled.

“My boyfriend was standing in front of the car trying to get me to open the hood, but I don’t know anything about cars,” said the expectant mother. Calls to 911 alleged that Hardy had been observed banging his fists on the car’s hood, but claims of a full-out domestic situation were misconstrued.

Bodycam footage showed McNichol, who is white, requesting that Laurent hand over her license and registration, but she refused. Instead, she insisted that they wait until her mother arrived. “How aggressive he was — he was scaring me. I didn’t want to piss him off anymore. I didn’t want to reach for something, and then he thinks I’m reaching for something else,” she explained. The mother of four was pulled from the vehicle after she failed to comply.

After being thrown to the ground, she screamed, “I’m pregnant! Get off my stomach.” McNichol continued to place her under arrest as he responded, “I don’t care. You don’t have a right to not to give me a license and registration.” Days after the incident, Police Chief Michele Miuccio issued a statement: “While the responding officers had a duty to identify the people involved and investigate if a crime took place or anyone was at risk, one of our officer’s actions did not help to de-escalate the situation. I take our commitment to professional police service seriously and hold that expectation for all of our personnel in all interactions with the community we serve.”

In a report published by the Sun Sentinel on Friday (July 7), it was revealed that McNichol was retired and that his notice was submitted on June 1, only a week after the incident occurred. Prior to working in Florida, he had been with the New York Police Department for 20 years, amassed 50 civilian complaints, and been formally disciplined five times.