Thats when she pulled over to the highways median. In addition to officers involved in the stop, the lawsuit names Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten and Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Company. Background Search . source code | run your own mirror bot? The suit says she was going 10 mph over the speed limit 80 mph in a 70 mph zone. Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. A subreddit dedicated to people freaking out, melting down, losing their cool, or being weird in public. The video shows Salisbury Deputy Mark Benfield approaching Ms Bottom's car with his gun drawn before grabbing her hair and dragging her to the ground. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. When she asked for medical assistance, she estimated that an hour elapsed before officers called for help, the lawsuit said. When Bottoms didn't immediately pull over, one of the officers making the traffic stop identified in the lawsuit as Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow made statements recorded by his body camera that Bottom was a "f**king retard" and a "douche bag," according to the body camera footage. It also claims that the officers congratulated one other for their work and an officer identified in the lawsuit as Barkalow is heard bragging about grabbing a "handful of dreads," saying "at that point she earned it.". 2023001600. Law enforcement officers and sheriffs deputies are held to a certain standard and they should live up to that standard.. She joined the staff in January 2020 after graduating from Louisiana State University, where she was editor of The Reveille newspaper. A Black woman was allegedly grabbed by the hair and pulled out of her SUV by North Carolina police during a traffic stop in 2019 after she was driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and failed to stop for law enforcement, according to a civil lawsuit filed last week. Bottoms lawsuit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for North Carolinas Middle District and accuses officers of using excessive force and violating her constitutional rights. The first cop seems to understand that this is an older lady and doesn't seem to present an immediate threat. During the interaction, Cuthbertson swung his helmet, striking Officer B. W. Jones in the face. Within seconds of arriving at her driver's side door, officers grabbed the by her arm and hair and pulled her from her vehicle to the ground. Officers with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department were attempting to conduct a traffic stop on Bottom, alleging she was driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone, according to the suit. The report states Naves reviewed body camera footage. After Benfields initial attempt to pull Bottom over, a roughly 14-mile chase ensued and ended when law enforcement officers eventually flattening Bottoms tires in Davidson County, The incident report states Benfield commanded the driver to exit the vehicle to which she refused to obey commands several times. Body camera footage. Someone non compliant whos in operation of a vehicle needs to be stopped immediately, it wasnt her color or age, it was her actions. Bottom had surgery to repair the tear but the injury prevents her from raising her left arm above her head. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. Incident reports show the chase occurred on May 30, 2019 when Rowan County Master Deputy Mark Benfield tried to stop Bottom around Julian Road for traveling 80 mph in a 70 mph zone. Bouk told her a cruiser pulled right beside her vehicle at one point during the pursuit and said she endangered a whole lot of people. Authorities indicated they also had their lights and sirens flashing as well. Officers with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department were attempting to conduct a traffic stop on Bottom, alleging she was driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone, according to the suit. Represented By. Its not like the cop decided that they wanted the hair because it would be more aggressive, theyre just grabbing her and getting her out of the vehicle to detain her as fast as possible. Filter by State in . According to the complaint, Bottom was unarmed and posed no threat. When Bottom didn't immediately pull over, one of the officers making the traffic stop identified in the lawsuit as Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow made statements recorded by his body camera that Bottom was a "f**king retard" and a "douche bag," according to the body camera footage. She was also charged with speeding and resisting arrest but those were dismissed. If you walk outside and point an airsoft gun at a cop you are virtually commuting suicide, because they dont have time to determine the lethality of the situation and your intentions. Former Salisbury Police officer Devin Barkalow is accused of pulling Bottom out of the vehicle by her hair. Benfield and a second cop, Officer Devin Barkalow, then struggle to put handcuffs on Bottom while she lies face-down on the side of the roadway, according to the footage. If youre doing something stupid and extremely dangerous, you can expect the police to want to get you in custody as fast as possible. The suit alleges that in his official capacity he "approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.". The force applied by the officers caused Bottom's "shoulder to 'pop,' tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. So why was it necessary to handle an old lady so aggressively when she is sitting in a car and there are a dozen other cops on the scene? The video was released to the Charlotte Observer by Bottoms attorneys, but has not been released publicly. Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was in pain, according to the lawsuit. She was "terrified," according to the lawsuit, as officers shouted at her to exit the vehicle. The lawsuit, which requests a jury trial, alleges two officers grabbed Bottom by her arm and her hair, later throwing her out of the vehicle and on to the ground. Following the public comments, Mayor Pro Tem Al Heggins asked the city council to find a way to address the concerns and deliver transparency. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Salisbury and Rowan County officers used excessive force. National and local news articles, relating to the United States. When Bottom appeared in court, she pleaded guilty to the failure to heed blue lights charge. Devin Barkalow M Overview. Barkalow and another Salisbury officer, Bottom claims they . I dont understand how they do it in Georgia, but thats not how its done here.. A Black woman was allegedly grabbed by the hair and pulled out of her SUV by North Carolina police during a traffic stop in 2019 after she was driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and failed to stop for law enforcement, according to a civil lawsuit filed last week. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. So they make up the majority of citizens police interactions in a given year. The Rowan County Sheriffs Office report does not address actions by Salisbury Police officer Barkalow. 2023001599. Bottom said she was listening to music loudly in her car and did not realize she was being pulled over, according to the lawsuit. Bottom pleaded guilty to failing to heed blue lights. Smith pulled ahead of Bottom at one point and laid down a spike strip to flatten her SUVs tires. We as a council have to say more than, be patient. We have to say more than let the process play out. She appeared in court for the traffic violations, pleaded responsible to failure to heed blue lights, and the other charges against her were dismissed, according to the lawsuit. The fourth officer named in the lawsuit is Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. When Bottoms didn't immediately pull over, one of the officers making the traffic stop identified in the lawsuit as Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow made statements recorded by his body . Regina Dancy said she debated speaking about the issue for fear shed be perceived as anti-police, which she emphasized she is not, or an angry Black woman speaking out against racial injustice. According to the Post, the officers named in the suit have been identified as Devin Barkalow, Adam Bouk and Rowan County Sheriff's deputy Mark Benfield. Police detective Devin Barkalow (now with DHS) jumps out of moving car with gun drawn to ticket 68 year old woman for 10 over.she is African American.surprise/surprise VT: No police nationally will stop a car for 80 on an interstate highway where the speedlimit is 70. She then proceeded to take them on a 10 mile chase. Lawsuit to be filed against police after Calif. man dies while being restrained by police. During this time, Bouk is heard on the body camera footage saying, "That's good police work baby" to other officers, according to the suit. shows Benfield, who approached the car initially with a weapon raised, pulling Bottom out of the vehicle by the arm. The suit states police officers acted unreasonably, maliciously, and without justification, because (Bottom) did not pose a threat and was lawfully complying with the demands of the defendants to exit the vehicle with her hands up. Video shows Bottom sitting in her vehicle, facing Benfield and responding to him when she is pulled onto the ground. Please, why are you doing this to me?, It was a simple traffic stop, thats all we had to do, Benfield told her. "We examined his legs and realized that both femoral arteries had been lacerated from the gunshot wounds. He is a white male registered to vote in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The lawsuit obtained by The Washington Post, which was filed in the Middle District of North Carolina, accuses Salisbury officers Devin Barkalow and Adam Bouk and Rowan County Sheriffs deputy Mark Benfield of hurting the librarian so badly that she was forced to miss eight months of work. In the footage, Bottom is seen screaming as Benfield, Barkalow, and Salisbury Police Officer Adam Bouk force her to lay face down on the ground, according to the lawsuit. The man facing murder charges, 29-year-old John Calvin Sifford III, crashed his car and ran away in an attempt to flee the officers, according to Salisbury police. Defendant Officer Devin Barkalow(hereinafter "Defendant Barkalow") is, and at all relevant times was, employed as an officer for Defendant City, and was acting in the course and scope of his. He joined the staff in August 2020 after graduating from the University of Alabama. Two Salisbury Police officers honored for life-saving actions, N.C. Both the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department are named in the suit f iled in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. We need law enforcement to serve and protect. Officers had their sirens on for at least 10 minutes, according to body camera footage that is cited in the lawsuit and was reviewed by CNN. He identified her on the radio as an older Black female. A frustrated Barkalow called Bottom a fucking retard and a douche bag while chasing her in his squad car. JAMES R. MORGAN, JR. Womble Bond Dickinson (us) LLP contact info. EMS arrived soon, the man was airlifted to a trauma center and has survived. Bailey reminded the public that the Salisbury Police Departments use of force policies are available on the citys website. SALISBURY A 2019 traffic stop thats the subject of a federal lawsuit started with a chase that lasted 14 miles and involved law enforcement officers flattening a womans tires in Davidson County, according to an incident report from the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. Constitutional carry bill aims to eliminate handgun permits, Medic: Teen dead, driver seriously injured in crash on I-485 in west Charlotte, PLAN AHEAD: Latest Weather Forecast Video. Im totally ok with throwing the book at her for having fled the cops for 10 miles, and Im even ok with having had guns drawn on her cause you never know with this shit, but that really does seem like excessive force to me when they got her out of the car. We released a statement because theres a lot of concern on how these officers and the Sheriffs department handled the situation, when they couldve handed it much more professionally than that, said Black, who was in Elizabeth City on Saturday taking part in state NAACP activity regarding the police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. Officers issued Bottom a summons, charging her with "speeding failure to heed blue lights, and resisting, delaying, and obstructing an officer for allegedly refusing to get out of her vehicle and pulling away from the officer," according to the lawsuit. Injury prevents her from raising her left arm above her head Bottom out of vehicle! In your inbox center and has survived that the Salisbury police officer Barkalow play out trying to stop her get... Receive the Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox Insurance Company has survived terrified ''! Before officers called for help, the lawsuit said his legs and that. 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