A Southfield woman who was 12-weeks pregnant in January has filed a lawsuit against the Southfield Police Department after she said she was assaulted by police officers when they were called in January, causing her to miscarry.
Crystal White, 38, retained attorney Geoffrey Fieger for the lawsuit which was filed last week in federal court, saying she was assaulted by an officer who responded to her home in January.
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Southfield police sued by woman who says officers caused her miscarriage
A Southfield woman who was 12 weeks pregnant in January has filed a lawsuit against the Southfield Police Department after she said she was assaulted by police officers when they were called in January, causing her to miscarry.
According to the lawsuit, White got into an argument with her mom, sister, and brother-in-law at her mom's home in Southfield on January 9. Police were called to a reported domestic dispute and White said she was packing her belongings when the police arrived.
The suit said one of the officers accused her of being armed but White showed her hands were empty and lifted her shirt to show her waistline. At that point, the suit claims an officer lunged forward and punched her in the face before another officer pulled his taser and hit her in the stomach before handcuffing her.
White was 12-weeks pregnant at the time she was tased. Her unborn baby died on February 22.
White was left with cuts and bruises plus had some teeth knocked loose and broken, her suit claims. She's seeking $75,000 in damages.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on Monday at the police department. FOX 2 plans to stream it live on Facebook when it starts.
Earlier this month, Chief Barren told Fox 2 that officers who stand by while police misconduct is underway will be held accountable.
Barren confirmed White's sister called police saying she was trying to attack her and was grabbing knives from the kitchen and had "multiple mental issues". Barren also said White was trying to get her 6-year-old child from the home but she did not have custody of her daughter to do so.
Barren said when officers arrived, they gave her commands to stop and after she refused their orders, he said they had to "gain control of the woman and the situation". He said one officer tried to arrest her but she hit him in the head, leading to the officer punching her in the face before the taser was used.
Barren said the taser did not take full effect.
Barren played video of the arrest during Monday's press conference that showed officers talking to the woman who lifted her dress and said "I ain't got nothing". She ignored their demands for her to stop and police then took her into custody. The view of the arrest was blocked by a car parked on the street in front of the car.
The next camera feed was from inside the police car showing White in the back seat as she was in custody. An officer off-camera told her he wanted to talk to her but she 'growled' and charged at his partner and "that's why you were tased twice".
The officer then relayed what happened to another officer, also off-camera, and said she was trying to get into a car and refused to stop when they told her to do so. When the verbal commands didn't work, he said she was charging at three officers and "seems to be emotionally disturbed."
The chief also showed images of her injuries, which included a cut above her lip, a minor scratch, and where the tasers made contact with her body.
Barren said she was taken to the hospital for mental evaluation and no charges were filed.
The officers were not equipped with body cameras. Barren said they have been delivered but the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the deployment. He expects them to be in place by August.
Dash camera photo still from Southfield police video.