Lawyer of pregnant woman in KC arrest video wants officers’ licenses revoked
Kansas City attorney Stacy Shaw on Friday called for the license revocation and firing of the police officers who arrested a pregnant woman earlier this week.
Videos posted to social media after the arrest taken Wednesday outside a convenience store at 35th Street and Prospect Avenue show an officer twist the arm of the woman to put it behind her back and handcuff her while putting his knee on her back, with her belly on the ground. The Kansas City Police Department on Friday released video of the 30 minutes leading up to the arrest.
Shaw, who is representing the woman, said the woman went the hospital in “extraordinary“ pain Thursday evening and was later released. She said the baby survived.
However, the woman is dealing with “intense nerve pain in her back” and complications with her pregnancy. Friday morning, she visited her OB-GYN.
Shaw joined local civil rights organizations in a press conference Friday demanding justice.
Gwen Grant, CEO and president of Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said Wednesday’s arrest is an example of the “excessive force culture” perpetuated by the department under Chief Rick Smith.
“We are here today to express our outrage, and yet another incident of excessive force on behalf of the Kansas City Police Department, with the incident that occurred a few days ago here at 35th and Prospect.”
Trust, Grant said, is the main reason why civil rights leaders don’t see a path for reform and building relationships between police and the community while Smith is chief.
She pointed to Kansas City police Sgt. Matthew T. Neal, charged with felony assault on a 15-year-old victim. The teen suffered a gash on his head, bruising and broken teeth, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
“It must stop,” Grant said. “We are sick and tired. How much more do we have to take before everyone in this community — Black people, white people, brown people — stand up and say no more?“
In addition to Grant and Shaw, representatives from the AdHoc Group Against Crime, the local NAACP chapter, Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City and the Police Accountability Taskforce spoke.
The videos posted on social media show the officer holding the woman as she sat down, appearing to struggle to breathe, while another voice yells out: “Are y’all serious? She’s pregnant.”
Officers in the videos are heard telling others at the scene to “get back or you’re going to jail.”
The woman was attending a balloon release for a homicide victim. Troy Robertson, who was also arrested that night, spoke at Friday’s press conference and denied the allegations of fighting.
The pregnant woman was filming the arrest, Shaw said, when the officer first bumped into her, then pushed her to the ground.
KCPD release new video
Friday afternoon, Kansas City police released video that shows the 30 minutes leading up to the pregnant woman’s arrest.
Sgt. Jake Becchina said in a statement Friday that the video shows what led to the 911 call and police response.
The video does not capture the moment the officer’s knee is on the woman’s back, but turns to capture the aftermath.
Police said a security officer for a business at the intersection called police on a group of 15-20 people fighting around 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Officers tried to arrest one man who was refusing to leave, police spokesman Capt. Dave Jackson said, when the group of people stopped them.
The man then tried to run away, tripped, and two others interfered, Jackson said. Police pulled that man and the pregnant woman off of the first man.
The pregnant woman, Jackson said, resisted arrest. An officer first tried to arrest her while standing, before taking her to the ground. Jackson said the officer did not apply pressure from his knee to the woman’s back, but kept his weight on his foot. She was then handcuffed and moved to a seated position.
The first man was arrested and booked. Jackson said the woman was arrested for hindering and that she was evaluated and released from a hospital.
“We would take great care in order to avoid injury or exacerbating the situation,” Jackson said Thursday. “We understand the emotions of dealing with anybody from children or pregnant people or disabled people. We understand.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas said he has talked with Smith and said the department will review the incident and procedures involved.
“I do want us to get all facts in the situation,” Lucas said. He said the department and Smith will report to the police commissioners, who will then consider next steps.
“I think right now (Smith has) continued to basically be in a learning phase of what happened,” Lucas said. “I think right now he’s doing what his job should be, which is to make sure we’re getting all the information necessary, coming to informed decisions and then making sure they’re reporting back as quickly as they can.”
Lucas said “Kansas Citians should be able to rest assured” while the arrest is reviewed to ensure standards were followed and a fair process is applied to the pregnant woman, the officers and the community.
He said the arrest has not changed his view on Smith’s job.
Jackson said anyone involved can contact the Office of Community Complaints or the police department to file a complaint.
Call for justice
Rodney Williams, president of the KC chapter of the NAACP, said an overhaul of police training is needed.
“Once again Kansas City is living through another version of police brutality and the repeated recycling of evil, in which the KCPD has demonstrated misconduct and unequal protection under the law,” Williams said.
Robertson, the founder of the “Honk for Peace” initiative, said if he is held accountable for wrongdoings, police should be as well.
“We have to get justice for everybody that has been mistreated by our police,” Robertson said.
Damon Daniel, president of the Adhoc Group Against Crime, said he wanted to call for healing for the community.
He said he has learned from Breonna Taylor’s killing that “that we might not be comfortable or safe in our own bedroom.” He added: “And now, I’ve learned that our babies may not be safe in the womb.”
The Star’s Allison Kite contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 1:25 PM.
