Photo via Flickr
VICE News is closely watching policing in America. Check out the Officer Involved blog here.A woman has filed a federal lawsuit against police in Albany, Georgia, alleging that cops beat her so severely during a 2011 incident at the Albany Police Department that she miscarried.Kenya Harris is seeking $50,000 in damages for use of excessive force, battery, and inflicting emotional distress in a suit filed against the City of Albany, its police chief, and Officers Ryan Jenkins and Richard Brown Jr., the Courthouse News Service reported this week.The altercation allegedly occurred while Harris was retrieving her underage son, who had been arrested, from the police department in May, 2011. The suit states that after waiting at the station for five hours for police to release her son, the plaintiff told the officers she had to leave to care for her other children. According to the filing, "Officer Jenkins stated that he did not appreciate the tone in which she was communicating with him, and further stated that if she continued he would take her head and 'put it to the floor.'"Harris claims she then repeated that she needed to leave, which is when Jenkins allegedly got physical."Defendant Officer Jenkins, without provocation, grabbed plaintiff, who weighs less than one hundred twenty (120) pounds, by her neck and slammed her to the ground," the complaint states. "Plaintiff momentarily blacked out and came to with defendant Officer Jenkins sitting on her back, and with his knee on her arm. Plaintiff was pregnant at the time."Jenkins then proceeded to put handcuffs on Harris and slammed her against the wall, the suit states. Harris was then allegedly taken to an interrogation room where she was beaten again, while handcuffed.Afterwards, Harris claims she spent the night in jail and did not receive medical attention. In the suit, she claims the beating caused several injuries and eventually led her to have a miscarriage."With malice, defendants Officer Jenkins and with the compliance of Officer Brown, repeatedly slammed Ms. Harris, causing her severe physical harm and the loss of her baby, when less force was required and should have been used," the complaint states.Photo via Flickr
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