After police officers were recorded on video pulling a mother out of her vehicle and smashing the windows with her toddler in the backseat, the city of Philadelphia recently agreed to pay $2 million to the innocent woman. At least 2 officers have been terminated for their involvement in the assault.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on October 27, 2020, Rickia Young was driving home with her 16-year-old nephew and two-year-old son when she became stuck in traffic at a police barricade during a protest against police brutality. In a cellphone video recorded by Aapril Rice, Young’s SUV can be seen attempting a three-point turn as multiple officers surrounded the pickup truck stopped in front of her.
Instead of allowing Young to leave the area, the officers suddenly began to smash her windows before pulling her out of the vehicle and beating her with a baton. Young and her nephew were thrown to the ground, as another officer removed her 2-year-old hearing impaired son from the backseat.
Young reportedly suffered a “bloody nose, a swollen trachea, blood in her urine, and swelling and pain on her left side,” while her son was treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for “a large welt on his head.” Although some protesters allegedly threw projectiles at the police officers during the protest, Young was clearly attempting to drive away from the officers in the video when they attacked her family.
According to her attorney, Young was detained for several hours but was not charged or cited with any crime.
Last week, Young filed a lawsuit against the National Fraternal Order of Police, which two days after the incident posted a photo of a Philadelphia police officer holding Young’s then-2-year-old son. The photo was later deleted from the police union’s social media.
In May, a police sergeant and an officer were fired for their conduct during the incident. Sgt. David Chisholm was terminated for violating departmental policies, use of force, and lying or attempting to deceive during a departmental investigation, while Officer Darren Kardos was fired for excessive use of force and physical abuse with a baton.
On Monday, the city of Philadelphia agreed to pay $2 million to Young in order to avoid a lawsuit against the city.
“This terrible incident, which should have never happened to anyone, only further strained the relationship between the police and community,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a recent statement. “The officers’ inexcusable actions that evening prompted an immediate and thorough investigation of the incident and for personnel to be disciplined and held accountable for their egregious conduct. I hope that the settlement and investigations into the officers’ actions bring some measure of closure to Ms. Young and her family.”
“The behavior that occurred during the interaction between Rickia Young, her nephew, her son, and some of the officers on the scene violated the mission of the Philadelphia Police Department,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement.
“As a matter of fact, the ability for officers and supervisors on the scene to diffuse the situation was abandoned, and instead of fighting crime and the fear of crime, some of the officers on the scene created an environment that terrorized Rickia Young, her family, and other members of the public.”
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