Suit: Harvey police officer beat pregnant girl, 17
Sun-Times Media June 22, 2012 10:16PM
A 17-year-old girl is suing the City of Harvey and a police officer who allegedly beat her and caused a miscarriage.
The girl claims she was pregnant when the officer threw her to the ground, rammed his knee into her abdomen area and sent an approaching ambulance away before arresting her, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Friday.
The girl’s lawyer, Jon Erickson, said the girl was at a family friend’s house in Harvey when the police were called to deal with a disturbance. When officers arrived, they began arresting multiple people, including the girl’s sister. When the girl complained about her sister’s arrest, she was attacked by the officer, arrested and charged, according to Erickson. He said her charges have since been dismissed.
After throwing the girl to the ground, the suit claims the officer “used the force of his weight and strength to apply pressure with his knee” to the girl’s abdomen.
According to the suit, he had been told the girl was pregnant and ignored the girl’s family when they plead with him to leave her alone. The girl’s mother called for an ambulance, but the officer waved it off.
About eight days after the attack, the suit claims the girl went to the emergency room with extensive bleeding. A week later, she was diagnosed with a “missed abortion” and had to undergo a surgical abortion.
The nine-count suit seeks unspecified punitive damages related to the wrongful death of her baby and her arrest.
A spokesperson for the City of Harvey did not respond to requests for comment Friday night.
