Do y’all remember the viral video that showed a Black Lives Matter protestor being pulled into an unmarked NYPD van last year? Well, she’s suing the city of New York and ten unnamed police officers.
The Insider reported that Stickers O’Neill filed a lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court, accusing the police of using excessive force and assaulting her when they arrested her without a warrant.
The suit is against the City of New York and ten unnamed New York Police Department officers.
O’Neill, 18, was seen being thrown into an unmarked van during a July 2020 anti-police brutality protest following the protests over George Floyd’s murder.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo weighed in on O’Neill’s arrest, calling it “disturbing,” “frightening,” and “wholly insensitive.”
The victim said that she thought she was being kidnapped because the officers wore plain clothes while pulling her into the van. The lawsuit also alleges that the officers did not identify themselves as law enforcement and punched and elbowed her while putting her into handcuffs.
O’Neill also says that they did not fasten her into a seatbelt while the van sped away from the scene.
“When Plaintiff screamed for help, the Individual Defendants ordered her to stop behaving like ‘an animal,'” the lawsuit says.
O’Neill claims she suffered “extraordinary” emotional pain and suffering, loss of liberty, and physical injuries following the arrest. She requests a jury trial, compensation from the city, and punitive damages against the arresting officers.
The victim claims the NYPD defamed by telling the media that she was arrested pursuant to a warrant, but the department knew there was no warrant out for her arrest. Authorities claimed O’Neill was wanted for five counts of criminal mischief for damaging police cameras.
