Video shows mentally ill woman dragged through Florida courthouse

The incident was captured on a mobile phone by a defence attorney who was on another case at the courthouse

Footage has emerged of a mentally ill woman being dragged through a courthouse by her ankle shackles.

In the minute-long video Dasyl Jeanette Rios, 28, is seen getting pulled through a corridor in Broward County Court, Florida on Monday by Deputy Christopher Johnson.

She is visibly distressed and screams, “You’re f**king hurting me” and repeatedly asks the deputy to stop.

She can be heard saying, “I hate my life. I wish they would kill me already. Why do I have to be alive? You’re hurting me. You’re f**king hurting me. Stop. You don’t give nobody a chance. All I wanted to do was stop for a few minutes.”

“Cry. That’s all I wanted to do for a few minutes, cry because my life is in your hands. Stop, leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave me alone, all I want is my mother to know why she can’t see me when she comes and visits me.”

Warning: Video contains content that some viewers may find upsetting

As she becomes more upset, more deputies appear but they do not say anything instead they try to help Deputy Johnson open a door.

The video ends with Ms Rios being taken through the door as her screams are ignored.

The incident was caught on camera by defence lawyer Bill Gelin, who was at the courthouse on another case at the time.

“They dragged her off like she was a farm animal,” Mr Gelin told the NY Daily News.

Ms Rios was in court for a status hearing after she was found to be mentally incompetent by two doctors.

Her mother, Sylvia, said that she suffers from bipolar disorder and had been involuntarily institutionalised several times in the past.

Mrs Rios explained that her daughter was taken out of the court before she had left the room. She said she heard a loud thump and rushed out of the courtroom and into the hallway where she witnessed her daughter dragged feet first.

Assistant Public Defender Lynn DeSanti, who is married to Mr Gelin, said she saw Ms Rios getting pulled to her feet after the hearing ended.

"He basically picked up this girl, yanked her off the bench, and started dragging her through the hallway," Ms DeSanti explained to the SunSentinel.

In statement Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said, “I am concerned by the way the deputy handled this situation, because there were other courses of action he could have taken."

"Internal Affairs has initiated a complete and comprehensive investigation, and the deputy has been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome."

Deputy Johnson is now on restricted duty and the matter is under investigation.