BALTIMORE (AP) - A woman who says she was injured during a ride in the back of a Baltimore police van after being beaten and illegally arrested has sued the department.
The suit alleges that while Cierra Brooks was waiting for a ride outside a nightclub on Aug. 21, 2012, a police officer assaulted her, throwing her to the ground and dragging her through the street before tossing her inside a police transport van. Inside the van, the suit says Brooks was handcuffed but not secured in a seatbelt, and as a result "was thrown about and injured as the wagon was driven."
Brooks' lawyer is Billy Murphy. Murphy represents the family of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering a critical spinal injury inside a police van. The police department didn't respond to emails seeking comment.