The officers pulled Bottom's arms behind her back while she shrieked in pain as sirens blared in the background, according to the footage. Born in North Carolina, Chef Tyson spent countless hours dreaming of leaving for the bright lights of anywhere else. The lawsuit said she was listening to music loudly in her car at that time and she did not immediately realize she was being pulled over. A pirate at heart, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Political Science at East Carolina University. Within seconds of arriving at her driver's side door, the officers grabbed Bottom by her arm and hair and pulled her from her vehicle to the ground, according to body camera footage. On the same day Bottoms case was filed, it was automatically referred to mediation under local court rules due to the subject matter concerning an alleged Civil Rights violation under 42 U.S.C. 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. 23 South Carolina baseball team continued its unbeaten start to the 2023 season in an 11-3 victory over North Carolina A&T Tuesday afternoon at Founders Park. The other officers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A 68-year-old Atlanta librarian is suing police in Salisbury, North Carolina, claiming excessive force during a 2019 traffic stop. 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. Download our newest episodes now! 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At one point, she begged for medical attention, as well for an opportunity to call her family. Bottom, now 68, said she was driving to Raleigh for a funeral in May 2019 when she was pulled over for suspected speeding and failing to heed blue lights, the Stephanie Bottom alleges she was thrown to the ground during a traffic stop that started because officers said she was speeding. CNN has reached out to Rowan County Sheriff's Department for comment but has not yet heard back. Ms. Bottom wasnt even arrested. According to an ABC 7 News article, Bottom 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.. ', 'Won't somebody think of the fentanyl dealers?' I was shaking in fear, Bottom said in an interview with the Charlotte Observer. 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. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. A 66-year-old librarian is suing police in North Carolina for allegedly using excessive force during a 2019 traffic stop in which she says she was thrown to the ground. a librarian from Georgia has filed a civil rights lawsuit against police officers over a traffic stop gone awry. One of the officers tells Bottom that three police cruisers had been behind her for about 10 miles trying to get her to pull over for allegedly driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone and failing to heed officers sirens. Stephanie Bottom. Meanwhile, the Salisbury Police Department did not comment on the pending litigation but stated that it strives for positive interactions with our residents and visitors, including in cases where we may suspect criminal activity., Get the Latest Black News and Press Releases In Your Email FREE, Your I didn't know you guys were chasing after me. Show our community and nation that law enforcement who enforce the law, must also abide by the same law.. "Because I didn't know they were going after me!" Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. WebStephanie Fields in North Carolina 47 people named Stephanie Fields found in Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point and 12 other cities. Officers Barkalow and Adam Bouk and Deputy Mark Benfield then quickly approached with their guns drawn. The suit alleges that in his official capacity he "approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.". Ms. Bottom wasn't even arrested.'. Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was in pain, according to the lawsuit. [She] did not pose a threat to [the officers] or anyone else as she had her hands up as she attempted to exit the vehicle. She also admits to going 10 miles over the speed limit, which was 70mph, meaning she was driving around 80mph. As Rowan County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Benfield and Barkalow approached her vehicle they had their guns drawn and pointed at her, according to the lawsuit. 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. We've received your submission. "Well, honey, you had several miles to stop. The suit alleges that in his official capacity he approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.. Unprofessional conduct, inappropriate comments, and excessive force use negatively impacts police-citizen relationships. Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunt's funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes When she realized officers were following her, she tried to pull over 'somewhere safe where Id be around lights and people,' but she alleges spike strips were used to stop her car instead. The lawsuit filed Wednesday by Stephanie Bottom of Atlanta says she posed no threat to officers from the Salisbury Police Department and the Rowan County STEPHANIE BOTTOM: Defendant: DEPUTY MARK BENFIELD, OFFICER DEVIN BARKALOW, OFFICER ADAM BOUK, CITY OF SALISBURY, SHERIFF KEVIN I was listening to my musicI wasn't going that fast, Bottom says. 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. 'I was shaking in fear,' Bottom said to the Observer. Police officers then approached her with guns drawn and grabbed her by her arm and hair, pulling her out of her car and throwing her onto the ground. When they grabbed me and threw me to the ground, thats when the real terror struck me that Im going to die.. Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunt's funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes Updated The video shows Stephanie Bottom, 66, repeatedly pleading with Salisbury police officers and Rowan County sheriffs deputies to tell her why they stopped her on Interstate 85 as she was traveling to her aunts funeral in Raleigh in May 2019. I was just driving, Bottom says. She is seeking punitive damages, compensatory damages, attorneys fees and other costs from the state defendantsas well as injunctive and declaratory relief that prohibits similar treatment against citizens in the future based on the idea that the officers actions were in violation of the Fourth Amendments prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. Sheriff's deputies in North Carolina say they tried to pull Bottom over for speeding, but she refused to stop. quickly enough, the lawsuit alleges. She was "terrified," according to the lawsuit, as officers shouted at her to exit the vehicle. Bottom says. Browse Locations. The post 68-year-old woman sues NC police for violent traffic stop recorded on body camera appeared first on TheGrio. Ms. Bottom wasnt even arrested.. The force applied by the officers caused Bottom's "shoulder to 'pop,' tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. "Once it became clear they wanted her to pull over she was afraid and was looking for a safe place to pull over," Holmes told CNN in an email. An officer tells her she refused to stop for law enforcement. #3 in North Carolina. The suit was filed in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina. Another officer involved in the traffic stop, only identified as Officer Smith, pulled ahead of Bottom and deployed spike strips that immediately immobilized her vehicle, the lawsuit says. Traveling north on I-85, she eventually noticed the blue lights of a Sheriff Deputys vehicle and began looking for a safe area to pull over, according to her lawsuit filed in federal court on Wednesday. I was getting ready to die. Web22 records for Stephanie Bottoms. The then-66-year-old librarian from Fulton County, Georgia, was listening to music and didn't initially see the flashing blue lights coming from the police vehicle behind her, Holmes said. Asheville (NC) (2) Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill (NC) (13) Clarendon, NC (1) Did you encounter any technical issues? Discovery Company. Bottom was driving from Atlanta to Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend her aunts funeral. A 68-year-old Black librarian from Georgia has filed a civil rights lawsuit against police officers over a traffic stop gone awry. She pleads for help, saying she has an injured shoulder. 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 unable to work for eight months following the injuries she suffered and still primarily uses her right arm to stack bookshelves, as she struggles to raise her left hand over her head. He took a job with federal law enforcement in February 2020, according to Linda McElroy, a spokesperson for the city of Salisbury. She says that when she requested medical assistance, approximately an hour elapsed before officers called for help. All we had to do was write you a ticket and you turned it into this.. Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. Four law enforcement officers are named in the federal lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Norfolk State Spartans (20-8, 9-3 MEAC) at North Carolina Central Eagles (15-11, 8-4 MEAC) Durham, North Carolina; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Norfolk State plays the North Carolina Central Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Artemis Moshtaghian, Melissa Alonso and Amanda Jackson, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7. 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