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Cop Gets Slap On Wrist For Slugging Handcuffed Woman

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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Security video from the garage of the Miami Beach Police Department shows a group of officers milling about, a petite, handcuffed woman standing among them. The woman reaches out her foot, as if to trip one of the officers, who then slugs her in the face and kicks her.

Miami Beach police released the video, along with more than 500 pages of investigative documents Monday, after a lengthy investigation of the incident that occurred in July, 2013.

The woman, Megan Adamescu was left with a swollen face and concussion. The fist-swinging, kicking cop was Officer Philippe Archer. Earlier, he had karate-kicked and punched 50-year-old Andrew Mossberg, leaving Mossberg's face, cheek and forehead bruised and bloody.

Mossberg had come upon the cop, who was wearing a casual shirt and jeans, rummaging through an inebriated Adamescu's purse.

He thought he was seeing a robbery, dialed 911 and shouted out that he was calling the police.

"Apparently that really infuriated him, because he rushed me, kicked me in the head, the left side of the head, and knocks me on the ground," Mossberg told CBS4 News shortly after the incident in 2013. "While I'm on the ground he punches me twice, and I'm knocked out."

CLICK HERE To Watch Lauren Pastrana's Report 

A passerby also thought he was witnessing a crime, shouting at the officer, "I'm on the phone with 911."

The man was using his cell phone to make a video recording of Mossberg writhing on the sidewalk. He asked Archer if he was a policeman, but Archer did not reply, inquiring repeatedly, instead, about the man's cell phone.

A woman from a nearby condo balcony also thought the cop was committing a crime.

"Some guy is beating up an old guy," she tells a 911 operator.

The state attorney and U.S. attorney declined to prosecute the cop.

Miami Beach police on Monday revealed Archer's punishment:  Four weeks suspension without pay.

His alleged victims are outraged.

"This officer should have been fired," said attorney Ray Taseff, representing Mossberg. "Mr. Mossberg does the right thing and makes the right call, and he is then retaliated against by Officer Archer."

Adamescu's attorney said the cop should be arrested.

"Where is the state attorney, where is the United States Attorney," said attorney Phil Reizenstein. "This was a crime that was committed. This is an officer who not only beat up my client, and not only did it on video tape, her hands were cuffed behind her back."

Adamescu and Mossberg will sue the city and Archer.

It won't be the first time.

Archer has at least three other lawsuits against him. The city paid $60,000 in a settlement with another man Archer had beaten.

Miami Beach police refused to make anyone available to respond on camera to complaints that Officer Archer got a slap on the wrist.

Police Chief Dan Oates issued a statement saying in part, "My disciplinary action speaks for itself. Everyone, including the officer involved, has learned from this event. We are moving forward."

Archer gets to serve his four-week suspension two days at a time over a period of several months.

Eugene Gibbons, an attorney representing Archer for the police union, the FOP, said he will appeal the four-week suspension.

"It is unfair and inappropriate," Gibbons told CBS4 News.

The union attorney says Archer had the right to defend himself when Adamescu kicked him.

The video, however, does not make it clear that Adamescu kicked the cop. It appeared she may have been trying to trip him.

While Archer was cited for using excessive force, mistreatment of a prisoner and conduct unbecoming an officer in the assault on Adamescu, he was not similarly cited for kicking and punching Mossberg.

Investigators were unable to disprove Archer's claim that Mossberg was interfering with his investigation of Adamescu.

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