In the lawsuit, Bottom says law enforcement officers used excessive force, drew their guns during the stop, pulled her out of the car by her hair and tore her rotator cuff. Police then allegedly tore Bottoms rotator cuff as they detained her, shrieking, facedown on the pavement of the interstate. We know that North Carolina has really widespread and entrenched, pronounced racial disparities in terms of the way that black and white motorists are policed, he said. The suit alleges that in his official capacity he "approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.". Devin Barkalow is 36 years old, and lives in WI. A March report from the review panel, which is part of the Governors Crime Commission, showed that Black drivers are also searched nearly twice the rate as white and Hispanics in North Carolina, and more than three times the rate of other races. Anger is only one of the emotions I felt when I witnessed the video of what transpired between Ms. Stephanie Bottom and the officers in 2019. Bottom was not available for comment this week. Devin Barkalow M in 2015 was employed in City Of Salisbury and had a reported pay of $12,446 according to public records. Barkalow remembers how female cadets were hazed and harassed back then. The other officers swooped in and handcuffed Bottom, who yelled and writhed in pain as they yanked her arms her back to shackle her. Bottom said she was driving to Raleigh for a funeral in May 2019 when she was pulled over for speeding and failing to heed to blue lights. According to the complaint, Bottom was unarmed and posed no threat. Her attorneys argue the officers didnt give the elderly woman enough time to exit her vehicle and acted recklessly by forcibly removing her. SCOTT D. MACLATCHIE Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Mance said that was one of the reasons Emancipate North Carolina opted to take on Bottoms case. One of the officers named in the lawsuit, Devin Barkalow, declined to comment to the Charlotte Observer but no longer works for the police department. Its not like the cop decided that they wanted the hair because it would be more aggressive, theyre just grabbing her and getting her out of the vehicle to detain her as fast as possible. I work as a paramedic and people have literally brake checked us while going emergent. One of the officers' body cameras also captured one of the Salisbury police officers bragging about "grabbing a handful of dreads" and saying "she earned it." The four officers involved in the incident were Salisbury Police Officers Devin Barkalow and Adam Bouk, Rowan County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Benfield, and an officer only . Ms. In addition to calling for the release of video footage, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is demanding a transparent investigation into the incident. Didnt want to get shot? Incident reports show the chase occurred on May 30, 2019 when Rowan County Master Deputy Mark Benfield tried to stop Bottom around Julian Road for traveling 80 mph in a 70 mph zone. You turned it into this.. The lawsuit obtained by The Washington Post, which was filed in the Middle District of North Carolina, accuses Salisbury officers Devin Barkalow and Adam Bouk and Rowan County Sheriff's deputy Mark Benfield of hurting the librarian so badly that she was forced to miss eight months of work. Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunt's funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes told CNN on Tuesday. CNN has reached out to Rowan County Sheriff's Department for comment but has not yet heard back. Ms. Bottom wasnt even arrested.. She then proceeded to take them on a 10 mile chase. Thats good police work, baby, he said, according to body-cam footage. Benfield and a second cop, Officer Devin Barkalow, then struggle to put handcuffs on Bottom while she lies face-down on the side of the roadway, according to the footage. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. When Bottoms didn't immediately pull over, one of the officers making the traffic stop identified in the lawsuit as Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow made statements recorded by his body . Efforts to reach the officers and Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten were unsuccessful. Neither the Salisbury Police Department nor the Rowan County Sheriffs Office immediately responded to requests for comment Thursday. She later had surgery for the injury, but it did not fully repair the shoulder, according to the lawsuit, and now there is permanent damage. So they make up the majority of citizens police interactions in a given year. And they did their jobs while bullets were flying around them and a gunman was on the loose. The following alternative links are available: Note: this is a bot providing a directory service. Sgt. Bottom pleaded guilty to failing to heed blue lights. A Westminster Police Department officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after cellphone video showed him punching a handcuffed woman twice in the face, CBS Los Angeles reports. Stephanie Bottom was making the six-hour trek from Atlanta to Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend her aunts funeral. Officers had their sirens on for at least 10 minutes, according to body camera footage that is cited in the lawsuit and was reviewed by CNN. "Once it became clear they wanted her to pull over she was afraid and was looking for a safe place to pull over," Holmes told CNN in an email. Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246. Mr Benfield and another officer, Devin. Designed for military use, more and more police officers are carrying them. Its not clear in incident reports why deputies otherwise searched her vehicle. Black said he would like to see an updated mission statement that features language pertaining to people like Bottom, who may only be visiting Rowan County or simply passing through. The other officers did not respond to requests for comment. When police vehicles pulled behind her, Bottom continued driving for another 10 miles, oblivious, she says, to the fact that they were trying to stop her for speeding. Bouk told her a cruiser pulled right beside her vehicle at one point during the pursuit and said she endangered a whole lot of people. Authorities indicated they also had their lights and sirens flashing as well. Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was in pain, according to the lawsuit. against her in a 2019 traffic stop, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is calling for accountability and transparency from local law enforcement agencies. Bottom didnt think she was speeding and claims she didnt realize she was being pulled over. The lawsuit also alleges violations of constitutional amendments about unlawful searches and seizures, saying evidence found in the car would not support charges for speeding. Derek Barkalow. He identified her on the radio as "an older Black female." A frustrated Barkalow called. Former Salisbury Police officer Devin Barkalow is accused of pulling Bottom out of the vehicle by her hair. The man had been shot twice. She joined the staff in January 2020 after graduating from Louisiana State University, where she was editor of The Reveille newspaper. Then Benfield and Salisbury police officer Devin Barkalow have Bottom, then 66, face-down on the road and struggle to handcuff her. And theyre the ones we fear the most.. Defendant. Sunshine returns to SoCal on Thursday but cold temps stick around, World of Barbie to open next month at Santa Monica Place, Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD, Artemis Moshtaghian, Melissa Alonso and Amanda Jackson. Devin Willock, who was an offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, . Bottom is seeking a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages as well as court costs and attorneys fees. Uhm..she was speeding, they got behind her and lit her up. Six locals spoke during the Salisbury City Councils public comment session Tuesday, condemning the actions depicted in the body camera footage, emphasizing mistrust in local officers among Black and brown residents and calling for city leaders to be transparent and hold law enforcement accountable. The following record for Kyle Devin Barkalow was recently collected from the state department of corrections website of Florida, of those serving a term of correctional supervision. An officer pulled alongside Bottom's SUV at one point during the chase and looked inside her vehicle. Body camera footage showed Rowan County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Benfield and Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow approaching Bottom's vehicle with guns drawn, then pulling her by the arm and hair from her vehicle to the ground. She was "terrified," according to the lawsuit, as officers shouted at her to exit the vehicle. Bottom would later be charged with speeding, failure to heed to blue lights and resisting, delaying and obstructing an officer. As she was handcuffed on the side of the road, the officers searched her vehicle and purse without her consent, a warrant, or probable cause which violated Bottom's Fourth Amendment rights, the lawsuit says. Officer Devin Barkalow then bragged about grabbing a "handful of dreads," and said "at that point she earned it," the lawsuit says, quoting the bodycam audio. Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. During this time, Bouk is heard on the body camera footage saying, "That's good police work baby" to other officers, according to the suit. So why was it necessary to handle an old lady so aggressively when she is sitting in a car and there are a dozen other cops on the scene? National and local news articles, relating to the United States. Why? Law enforcement officers and sheriffs deputies are held to a certain standard and they should live up to that standard.. Atlanta Black Star is a narrative company. After the search, officers told Bottom to stand, but she said she couldn't due to the pain in her shoulder, according to the suit. Jagger Naves of the Rowan County Sheriffs Office cleared use of force used by deputies during the traffic stop. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Salisbury and Rowan County officers used excessive force. In situations like this, theyre so serious. The Black Army officer accused police officers in Windsor, Va., of holding him at gunpoint and pepper-spraying and assaulting him during a traffic stop in December. This should anger all of us.. ): Spencer D. Matthews, 39, Daytona Beach, habitual driving . In a June 2019 review of the incident, Sgt. Devin Barkalow M in 2019 was employed in City of Salisbury and had annual salary of $54,148 according to public records. Once on the ground, officers twisted Bottoms arm behind her back, causing her shoulder to pop, tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury, the lawsuit said. While state law allows people pictured in body camera videos to receive a copy, Rowan County government is prevented from releasing the video without a court order. Officers then handcuffed Garcia, who police said "exhibited signs of being under the influence." According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. Chauvins conviction on Tuesday has renewed the push from Democrats for the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a measure that could reshape law enforcement training in the United States. If theyre not going to hold these officers accountable in a situation like this, when will they hold officers accountable?. He left the police force for a role in federal law enforcement over a year ago. Press J to jump to the feed. Sgt. Ben Stansell covers business, county government and more for the Salisbury Post. She said she didnt realize the contingent of officers were after her. Published 10:05 am Thursday, April 22, 2021. Constitutional carry bill aims to eliminate handgun permits, Medic: Teen dead, driver seriously injured in crash on I-485 in west Charlotte, PLAN AHEAD: Latest Weather Forecast Video. The lawsuit comes as questions surrounding excessive and deadly force by police against Black people remain front and center this week after Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis and 16-year-old MaKhia Bryant was fatally shot during an altercation in Columbus, Ohio. But she said women have made progress since, even in light of the scandal, in which members of an online group allegedly shared or commented on images of nude or semi-clad female Marines. Smith pulled ahead of Bottom at one point and laid down a spike strip to flatten her SUVs tires. Bottom was peaceful at all times, and officers knew they were dealing with an elderly woman, said Ian Mance, a lawyer with EmancipateNC who represents Bottom. Copyright 2017 WBTV. 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