Newly released surveillance and body camera footage show a former Buckeye police officer using force against two people in custody in separate incidents that investigators determined violated department policy, leading to felony aggravated assault charges.
Former Buckeye Police Officer Carri Carrico resigned from the department earlier this month, one week after a grand jury indicted her on two counts of aggravated assault.
The videos, along with internal affairs records, detail two incidents that occurred about two months apart and formed the basis of the department’s internal investigation.
The first incident occurred on November 1, 2025, inside the Buckeye Police Department’s booking facility.
Surveillance video shows Carrico escorting a pregnant woman before forcefully pushing her, causing the woman’s abdomen to strike a wall. Moments later, the video shows Carrico striking the woman in the head.
During an internal affairs interview, Carrico acknowledged the video appeared troubling but said the woman had grabbed her hands, prompting her response.
“I think the video looks really ugly,” Carrico said during the interview. “I’ve never once in my life open hand slapped or struck anybody, and in this moment I just… I think the only thing that I did was revert to my training, which is push her head offline to try and break that grip.”
Internal affairs records state Carrico did not document the use of force in any reports related to the incident.
A Buckeye police sergeant interviewed during the investigation concluded Carrico’s actions did not comply with department policy.
“Based upon my review of the incident, I would say it was not objectively reasonable,” the sergeant said. “It was not within our policy and not in line with what we teach.”
Despite the ongoing internal investigation, Carrico remained on duty.
Roughly two months later, another use-of-force incident occurred while Carrico was booking a man into the Maricopa County Jail.
Body camera footage shows the man headbutting Carrico before she took him to the ground. Internal investigators determined that the initial takedown was within department policy. Carrico was treated for a concussion resulting from the headbutt.
However, the video then shows Carrico delivering a closed-fist strike to the side of the man’s head before punching him again in the back of the head seconds later.
Internal affairs investigators determined those strikes violated the Buckeye Police Department’s use-of-force policy.
During her interview, Carrico said she feared suffering another head injury and believed the strikes were necessary to gain compliance.
“There’s always room for improvement, and I know everything I did here is not perfect,” Carrico said. “I know using profanity is obviously frowned upon, and citizens shouldn’t be cussed at.”
Carrico also pointed to her previous record as an officer.
“Being in this career field since 2014, I have never been accused of excessive force,” she said. “I’ve never been investigated for excessive force or anything in those lines, or lying, or anything like that. I 100% believe that in a stressful situation, this was a stressful situation.”
The grand jury ultimately indicted Carrico on two counts of aggravated assault related to the incidents. She has pleaded not guilty, and her case is scheduled to go to trial in November
