Tuesday, May 10th 2022, 4:28 pm
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a 70-year-old woman arrested by Tulsa police last October.
The arrest was captured on body camera video and showed an officer mocking the woman who was having a mental health episode and had locked herself inside a bathroom at a store. Ladonna Paris' attorney said when Paris needed help, police attacked her instead of getting her help.
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Ladonna Paris said she was having a bipolar episode last October and had locked herself in the bathroom of a Re-store business. The store called the police to remove Ladonna. Officers tried to call a crisis response team, but the team was busy on another call. In body camera video, you can see an officer laughing and threatening to taze Ladonna if she doesn't come out of the restroom.
“I was mocked, taunted, and brutalized," said Paris.
Eventually, another officer kicks in the door, and officers force Ladonna to the ground.
Ladonna said her face, leg, finger, and tooth were injured and she is still having to walk with a cane. She said at the jail, she was put in solitary confinement for more than a week.
“This is a microcosm of what people in the city of Tulsa deal with day in and day out,” said Solomon-Simmons.
Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons said he wants to see accountability from the officers and city and that’s why he’s filing the lawsuit.
"I was frightened, I was terrified, I was. I've never had anything impact me like this did.”
Charges weren't filed against Paris. Two months ago, Tulsa police released the full hours-long unedited video of the incident. They said the officers were talked to and the officers acted within policy. Tulsa police and the city of Tulsa said Tuesday they can't comment on pending litigation.
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