Arizona State cheerleader in viral video claims cop groped her, but union chief suspects shes angling for payday

The Arizona college cheerleader in a viral arrest video says an officer allegedly “groped” her after apparently slamming her to the ground and punching her — but a police union leader claims she could be angling for a “payday.”Arizona State University senior Eryn Bonner was hit with two misdemeanor charges last week in Tempe after a video captured cops allegedly tackling and punching her during an arrest in July.Bonner’s attorney claimed the charges — filed two months after the incident — are meant to shift the blame in an open-and-shut police brutality case.“They’re trying to protect themselves from civil liability by bringing charges two months later,” attorney Benjamin Taylor told The Post — claiming video shows an officer putting “his pelvis on top of her butt” and groping her rear.He said a lawsuit is on the table if 21-year-old Bonner can’t get justice.But a Tempe police sergeant claims Bonner struck the officer multiple times in the face before he threw the punch and even tried to level felony aggravated assault charges before settling for the misdemeanors.“She punches him five times in the face.He strikes her one time, trying to de-escalate a chaotic scene in the middle of a roadway … I don’t know how they could have done it any better,” Sgt.

Rob Ferraro, who is also president of the Tempe Officers Association, told The Post.Ferraro was not involved in the incident and does not speak on the department’s behalf.“It is absolutely imperative that we as a society scrutinize law enforcement … [but] sometimes there are actors that will want to capitalize on something, or use it as a payday, or not accept responsibility,” he argued.Both sides pointed to multiple videos of the chaotic scene, in which cops rushed to break up a brawl in Tempe’s bar district.A viral video posted to social media shows an officer apparently shoving Bonner to the ground, tackling her as she gets up and hitting her as she struggles on the g...