Daily MailA woman is suing a police officer and the town of Skokie, Illinois, after she was seriously injured when a cop threw her into a jail cell face-first following a drunk driving arrest.
Cassandra Feuerstein, 47, claims in a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday, that excessive force was used in the incident and that she needed reconstructive surgery to ‘replace the bones that had been shattered’ after being pushed into the cell on March 10.
The video of the incident clearly shows the 47-year-old being roughly shoved into the cell by an officer, who was later identified as Michael Hart.
Cell: The video shows Cassandra Feuerstein complying with police as she is patted down and searched by a female officer
Excessive force: After getting her mugshot taken, Cassandra is shoved roughly into the cell by the officer
Impact: She falls forward and strikes her head and face on the concrete bench and when she lands on the ground, a pool of blood spreads on the floor under her
The beginning of the prison video shows her complying with a female officer during the pat down and search and gives them her bra and shoes.
As she is shoved, she falls forward and strikes her face on the concrete bench. When she lands on the ground, a pool of blood spreads on the floor under her.
Another officer enters the cell and pulls her head onto his lap as he attempts to stop the bleeding.
A paramedic arrives soon after and she is taken to hospital in a stretcher.
Feuerstein claims the officer then filed a false report claiming she resisted police to explain his actions, according to CBS.
‘Apparently I was not looking into the camera the way the officer wanted me to’, she said at a press conference yesterday, referring to having her mugshot taken right before the incident.
Her lawyer Torreya Hamilton said: ‘The video speaks for itself. She does nothing to justify what this male police officer does.
‘If this was a tavern fight, which of course it wasn’t, it’d be like she got sucker-punched.’
The 47-year-old was charged with resisting an officer as well as drunk driving.
She pleaded guilty to the DUI. The other charge was subsequently dropped.
Feuerstein was arrested after she had pulled over, realizing she had too much to drink.
She fell asleep and was later arrested and taken to the station.
Pool of blood: Another officer enters the cell and pulls her head onto his lap as he attempts to stop the bleeding
‘Apparently I was not looking into the camera the way the officer wanted me to’, she said at a press conference yesterday, referring to having her mugshot taken
She is seeking unspecified damages.
Skokie town spokeswoman Ann Tennes said in a statement: ‘The Village of Skokie expresses deep concern for Ms Cassandra Feuerstein’s injuries that occurred at the Skokie Police Station earlier this year.
‘Officer Michael Hart has been on station duty and has no contact with the public. Both the Village of Skokie and the Cook County State’s Attorney have ongoing investigations pending that began when the incident occurred.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2453145/Cassandra-Feuerstein-sues-police-shoved-jail-cell-hard-reconstructive-surgery.html#ixzz2hi2z9P3k
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