A New York Police Department officer was caught on video tackling a visibly pregnant woman, and then remaining on top of her while she was facedown on the ground. Doctors do not know if her baby was harmed during the altercation. The five-months pregnant woman, Sandra Amezquita, was trying to intervene in the arrest of her 17-year-old son early Saturday morning in Brooklyn, police said. Residents told WABC that Amezquita is nearly six months along. Cops from New York City’s 72nd Precinct had spotted Amezquita’s son, 17-year-old Jhohan Lemos, with a clip – one often used to hold a knife – on top of his pants pocket, and a corresponding bulge below. The NYPD officers were arresting the teen for carrying an illegal knife in front of a bar where his parents and family friends were hanging out before coming out to help the teen, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement officials. The altercation began around 2:15 a.m., when Amezquita asked police to stop using excessive force on her son, family lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said, according to Lohud. The amateur video begins with Lemos already in handcuffs, sitting on the street, surrounded by police. When Amezquita tries to intervene, a bystander says, Dont resist! Dont resist. Throw your hands up. Police try to restrain her, then slam her to the ground with one of them riding on her back. Not only did she land on her stomach, “but she and her developing child [had] to absorb the weight of a police officer on top of her as well, WPIX noted. “Oh, my God, she’s pregnant!” an onlooker exclaims. A family friend also tries to step in, and another officer shoves her away. What we see is a woman whos trying to protect her son, who is being stopped and frisked by police, and she became a victim. Slammed onto the floor, Dennis Flores of El Grito de Sunset Park, the organization who posted the video on Facebook, told WABC. Her belly is now with black and blue bruises. Shes bleeding and shes having complications. Rubenstein told Lohud that doctors told Amezquita theres no way to tell if the baby was harmed. Amezquita suffered vaginal bleeding after the incident. “You would think the police would respect a woman that is pregnant,” Amezquita, 43, said through an interpreter in an interview with the New York Daily News. “I was afraid something happened to my baby. I am still afraid that something is wrong,” she said, referring to the abdominal pain that persists. The baby’s father, Ronel Lemos, said he watched in horror as his wife hit the ground belly-first. “The first thing I thought was they killed my baby and they’re going to kill my wife,” Lemos, 50, told the New York paper. Stop Police Brutality. Source: rt/usa/190380-nypd-tackle-pregnant-woman/
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:11:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015