When Baltimore residents are behind the wheel of a vehicle, they already have plenty to worry about. After all, negligent drivers can swoop in at any second and cause a motor vehicle accident. However, one woman was injured last year when she was stuck in traffic, but fellow motorists had nothing to do with it. She is now suing over the matter.
As the woman sat in traffic near the 2800 block of Harford Road, she noticed a commotion. Several juveniles were involved and police were on the scene. The woman said she noticed police converge on a boy. Worried they might be mishandling the youth, the woman started to record the altercation on her cell phone.
She said that one of the officers noticed that she was taping them and approached her. In her account, she stated that the officer told her to get back in her car before grabbing the cell phone, kicking and stomping on it. She also alleged that the officer pulled her out of the car.
The woman was arrested and was brought to Baltimore’s Central Booking center. Authorities claim that she was arrested because she was blocking the flow of traffic on the street and refused to move when officers asked her to. Authorities also accused the woman of using profanity and injuring an officer. The woman was never prosecuted for the alleged offenses.
The woman has filed a lawsuit against the four police officers that arrested her during the altercation. In Baltimore, people have the right to film police activity. Police can only seize such recordings under special circumstances.
The woman in this case suffered damage to her property and likely significant trauma from being mishandled by police officers. Now, she is appropriately seeking compensation for that pain and suffering in civil court.
Source: WBALTV.com, Woman sues officers after cellphone recording incident,” April 10, 2013