In August last year, Nakia Porter (33) was driving with her father and three children. She drove to the side when she had to change seats with her father.
This took a very unexpected turn when two police officers from the North Carolina Police Department arrived at the scene. The police officers wore body cameras that document the entire brutal course of events, according to the news agency AP.
At an emotional press conference on Wednesday, Porter and his father announced the lawsuit against the police department in Sacramento, Calif.
– Gave no reason to be treated like this
The cameras document how the two police officers point guns at Porter, then throw her down the sidewalk and handcuff him along a road in the Dixon village on August 6, 2020. Porter’s father, Joe Powell, was also handcuffed.
– COMFORTS THE DANGER: Nakia Porter comforts the father during a press conference where they announce the lawsuit against the North Carolina police department. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP
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Porter was jailed overnight, but she did not report. She describes the incident as confusing and dehumanizing.
“I did my best to do everything right, and gave no reason to be treated like that,” said Porter.
Porter’s lawyer, Yasin Almadani, is happy that the evidence against the police officers is so clear.
– Fortunately, the video states the truth. We believe that what happened here was racially motivated beating and terrorization of a black family, Almadani said.
Beaten unconscious
Porter and his father Powell were on their way home from a family reunion, and were to change places on an empty road. Her two daughters aged 3 and 6 and her niece aged 4 sat in the back seat. When they had stopped, a police car came driving with blue lights. Porter explained to the police officers that they should only change places, according to the review.
The police officers noticed that the license plates on the front and back of the car were not the same; one was from California and the other was from Maryland. However, there was no evidence that the car had been stolen.
– For those of you who listen, I do not resist, Porter said into the cameras while she was pushed into the car.
Immediately afterwards, she was laid on the ground, and it becomes difficult to see what is going on due to rapid movements. Porter was at this point beaten in the stomach and head, put on his knees and pulled by his hair. Porter fainted after she was handcuffed.
“I think she is unconscious,” said police officer McCambell.
Reacts strongly
Police officers McCampbell and McDowell deny criminal guilt. In the lawsuit, it appears that they lied about the injuries they had inflicted on Porter to ambulance personnel.
In the arrest report, they have also written that Porter fought back during the arrest, and they have also understated the length of time she was unconscious.
Police force expert Cedric Alexander reacted strongly after watching the video of the arrest. He thought it was wrong to arrest Porter and Powell so quickly, especially when there were children in the back seat.
– The worrying thing here is the use of force. A complete investigation must be carried out outside the sheriff’s department, preferably by a district attorney, Alexander said.
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