'I Was Going To Be The Next Sandra Bland': Woman Suing North Braddock, Officer For Alleged Unlawful Arrest
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A lawsuit has been filed against the borough of North Braddock and an officer after a woman was allegedly illegally detained and arrested.
The lawsuit claims that in August, 23-year-old Keaira Booker of Braddock pulled over when she saw an arrest happening because she thought the man involved was her dad.
WATCH: Live coverage of the press conference
An officer, identified in the suit as Sergeant Larry Butler, approached her and told her she was illegally parked in the roadway, 12 inches away from the curb.
In a video shown at the press conference, she denies being illegally parked. The woman's attorney, Todd Hollis, says the video shows the car's back tire touching the curb.
The officer asks for her ID, and she asks for the officer's name. He then appears to reach through the car window and unlock her door from the inside before allegedly pulling her out.
"The only thing that was going through my head was that I was going to be the next Sandra Bland," Booker says.
Hollis claims that disorderly conduct charges were filed, but accuses police of dropping them once they tried to show video evidence of the incident in court.
"It is required by law, when you are in a moving vehicle if an officer asks you for ID, you are required by law to provide it," North Braddock Police Chief Isaac Daniele said.
The police were surprised about the lawsuit, thinking they reached an agreement with her family.
Hollis also showed documents that showed Butler was fired from one job and forced to resign from another for similar conduct in Tennessee.
He is demanding that Butler be remvoed from the force.
Butler would not go on camera but he said he is proud of his record.
