A former Miami Gardens Police officer convicted of battery related to a woman's arrest in 2020 was sentenced to 30 days in jail Wednesday.
In addition to the month behind bars, Jordy Yanes Martel was given 250 hours of community service, 100 of which must be spent speaking at schools about how not to conduct yourself as a police officer.
Martel spoke in court before his sentence was handed down, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions that night.
“I believe I could have done a lot of things better. But again, we have seconds to act and sometimes we don’t make the best decisions when we have seconds to act," he said.
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A jury convicted Martel in June on misdemeanor charges of battery and trespassing in the January 2020 arrest of Safiya Satchell. He was acquitted of five other charges.
The incident happened in front of Tootsie’s Cabaret on 183rd Street. The State Attorney’s Office filed charges against Martel five months later.
Prosecutors said Satchell had been kicked out of the club for throwing money at a waitress.
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Body camera and witness video showed Martel, who was working off-duty security that day, approaching Satchell who was inside her car.
The video showed him pulling her out of her car and allegedly putting his knee on her neck. He also tased her twice on the stomach.
During his trial, Martel’s attorneys argued he was just doing his job and Satchell was not cooperating with orders. They said she was fighting back and allegedly hit Martel.
Martel must report to jail in two weeks.
"Justice was served," Satchell said after Wednesday's sentencing. "He changed me as a person mentally and physically and I’ve accepted due to his actions I will never be the same.”
