Woman whose arrest caught on social media claims PTSD
A woman whose forceful arrest by New Castle County Police was captured on video late last month said she has mental health issues, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, from the incident that caused her to have panic attacks.
N’Finitee Coleman’s June 29 arrest is under investigation by the department following the publication of the video online. She said her mental health disorder kicked in shortly after police stopped her in a Bear Royal Farms parking lot for a traffic violation.
After that, Coleman said she didn’t recall much of what happened until police released body camera footage of the arrest. That happened on July 4.
“To be honest, I don’t remember much of the stuff,” the 28-year-old Middletown woman said at a Tuesday morning press conference. “If it wasn’t for the body-cam footage, I wouldn’t have remembered half of the stuff I said.”
New Castle County Police said they would not comment on an ongoing investigation.
More:New Castle County releases video of woman’s controversial arrest caught on social media
Coleman’s attorney, Emeka Igwe, said his client is a victim of the officers who assaulted her.
“It’s important to understand that Miss Coleman suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. She has mental health challenges,” Igwe said. “As officers, you know you’re going to encounter people who may have mental health challenges or may be going through whatever circumstances.
“You’re trained to be professional and to know how to de-escalate situations. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen with Miss Coleman.”
While a lawsuit has not been filed, Igwe told reporters he would like for Coleman to be monetarily compensated for the injuries she sustained during the arrest. He also said they want police to receive training.
“We want some kind of reform,” he said. “We want some sort of training, remedial training for these officers to let them know that it’s not OK to punch someone in the head. Again, Miss Coleman could have suffered a concussion, or could have died from blows being inflicted to the head.
“We all know that it’s common sense and as an officer you are supposed to de-escalate a situation.”
More:Woman’s arrest by New Castle County officers captured on social media under investigation
This is a developing story. Check back with delawareonline.com for more information.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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