A convicted drunk driver is suing the city of Ormond Beach and a former police officer after video from her December 2024 arrest captured the officer violently attacking her while she was handcuffed.
M filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday against the City of Ormond Beach and former officer Jacob Ryan Cannon.
On Dec. 6, 2024, Ormond Beach police arrested M on suspicion of driving under the influence after she allegedly rear-ended a motorcycle. Police said M “showed clear signs of impairment during the investigation” and was arrested on DUI charges following a field sobriety test.
Video released by the police department shows two officers unsuccessfully attempting to get M to blow into a breath-testing device at police headquarters.
When M stood up despite being told to sit down, the video shows Cannon throwing her to the ground.
M’s head appeared to smack into the glass wall of the room before she crumpled to the floor screaming. As officers picked her up, blood could be seen pooling beneath her.
M was later taken to the hospital, where investigators said she received seven stitches in her forehead. Her booking photo shows a large gash on her head.
Cannon initially told first responders a different story. He claimed he had only grabbed M’s seat to sit her down — and that she hit the chair and rolled onto the metal frame of the glass wall on her own. He also reported that she fell a second time in a holding cell after slipping on blood.
According to the lawsuit, Cannon made no attempt to provide medical assistance and instead returned to the breath-testing room to check on the testing instrument. The lawsuit also alleges no other officers at the scene attempted to separate Cannon from M or render aid.
Cannon had been hired as a patrol officer in February 2023, according to the police department.
Following the December 2024 incident, he was immediately placed on administrative leave.
As the criminal investigation moved toward a felony battery charge, Cannon submitted his resignation before surrendering himself at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
After pleading no contest to felony battery in July 2025, a judge sentenced Cannon to six months in jail followed by two years of supervised probation. Prosecutors had sought a 19-month sentence.
During the sentencing hearing, Cannon expressed remorse on the stand.
“Your honor, I’d like to say I am sorry because I was in a position of power and should have never lost control,” he said.
Cannon also said his behavior was “unacceptable as a law enforcement officer,” adding that he voluntarily relinquished his police officer certificate and acknowledged he “let down” many people. His attorneys had requested mental health treatment, counseling, and medication instead of incarceration.
M also took the stand at the sentencing hearing, describing the lasting physical and emotional toll of the attack.
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Source: ClickOrlando
