Federal Way woman calls 911 during own arrest

[damnedifIknow]

—

Federal Way Police are reviewing their use of force during a recent arrest in which a woman diagnosed with cognitive and hearing disabilities was punched several times , while being restrained. Police, in turn, are recommending the woman be charged with felony assault to an officer.

"Megan Graham told her story to KIRO 7, her face still black and blue and swollen from the beating.

"I had a concussion. I still have a hard time understanding how things got so out of control, so fast," Graham said. "It was a total lack of communication."

Last Monday, Megan Graham parked her car at a Federal Way apartment complex, where she was planning to visit a friend. She said as she was getting out of her car, she noticed a Federal Way Police car behind her.

"I understood that he saw me using a cell phone," said Graham. "I told the officer I was going to carry my dog thirty feet to a friend's apartment. I told him, hey, you can walk with me," she said.

Graham says because the officer was speaking to her from his running car, she never heard his order to get back into her car. When the officer lunged and grabbed her wrist, she felt she was being attacked.

"I pulled my arm back, grabbed my phone and called 911 to call for help," she said. I told the officer I had mental and hearing disabilities, and didn't understand why he was trying to hurt me."

In 911 recordings obtained by KIRO 7, Graham is heard pleading the dispatcher for help."

n the 911 recording, Graham shouts at the officer: "You attacked me before you said anything! There is no point whatsoever for you to touch me like that, especially with my condition, so how dare you even touch me?"

The officer is clearly heard repeating "You are under arrest."

During the 911 call, another responding officer punched Graham several times in the face, and is heard loudly ordering her repeatedly to stop resisting.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/federal-way-woman-calls-9-1-1-during-own-arrest/nX8p3/

[Turbineguy]

1. Maybe we need courses in how to deal with police.

The way professional criminals do.

[damnedifIknow]

3. Another day another person beaten by police

Ho Hum.

[siligut]

2. Looks to me like the police officer enjoys punching women in the face

[liberal_at_heart]

4. police never seem to know how to deal with the disabled. The training these people get sucks.

[burnodo]

7. They don't seem to care

if anything, a disability seems to encourage them to be as neanderthal as possible

[Lunacee_2013]

5. Damn, just look at that eye!

There's no reason to even hit an unarmed person like that. Especially a disabled, middle aged woman. And they want to charge her with felony assault? Fuck those guys

[HereSince1628]

6. Yelling "Stop Resisting!!" seems to be a common cover for bad cop behavior.

[damnedifIknow]

8. Sure is

Stop resisting! Stop putting your head into my fist!

[dmr]

9. OMG! Her face!

There is no reason for those severe injuries.

No way do I believe the cops explanation:

In an email to KIRO 7, a Federal Way Police spokesperson provided the officer's narrative of the struggle.

"As the officer approached, Graham squared off against him in a fighter's stance and attempted to strike him with closed fists. (The officer) responded with closed fist strikes to Graham's face which brought her to the ground where she was handcuffed," the officer wrote.

Squared off in a fighter's stance with closed fists?

That's overly imaginative; and unbelievable. Shameful, too.

[TransitJohn]

10. The cops killed a deaf and mentally disabled man in Laramie, Wyo., last year.

And they awarded the 'officers' involved medals.
Fuck the fucking pigs.

[Kingofalldems]

11. The old 'stop resisting' routine