Allegations of police brutality have surfaced once again. Ruby Jones, a 74-year-old Oklahoma City resident, is suing three officers and the city after an arrest in August left her with a broken arm, TMZ reported. The harrowing event caught on bodycam is now accessible to the public.
When police arrived at Jones’ home, the older woman claimed they attempted to enter her home illegally to arrest her son, Chauncey. He was accused of calling in a bomb threat to a local behavioral center. Jones said the police failed to show a warrant, and therefore, she did not allow them to come inside her house.
Upon her refusal, the situation escalated as officers threatened her with jail, forced her outside and yelled profanities at her, according to the bodycam footage released by attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons.
Of course, the police offered a different version of the events, according to The Oklahoman. The police claimed that after receiving a report of a bomb threat to “blow up white people,” they traced the call to Chauncey Jones (through caller ID) and arrived at the woman’s home. Police also claimed the mother allowed them into her house. At that time, an officer was assaulted by Chauncey when he threw a knife at the officer from a back bedroom, the police department claimed. Her son was eventually taken to jail.
In the lawsuit, Jones disputed the claim that she consented to the officers’ entry into the house. She further claimed that she tried to tell cops that her son was having a mental health crisis. The incident clearly not only caused her physical harm but severe trauma.
“I know it was God that spared my life,” Jones said. at a press conference on Tuesday. “I won’t forget this. The pain, the agony. “
The bodycam footage appeared to closely corroborate Jones’ version of the story.
This incident reinforces the conversation around police brutality and racism as the country awaits a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. The filing also comes on the heels of former Brooklyn City, Minnesota police officer Kim Potter shooting and killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Potter was charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter and released on bail on Wednesday. “We know for a fact that would not have happened to a white grandmother,” Solomon-Simmons said. This incident is just one in a long line of recorded racially charged police interactions with citizens.
The officers that are named in the lawsuit are Dan Bradley, Ryan Staggs and James Ray. Master Sergeant Gary Knight told The Oklahoman there would be no statement on Jones’ lawsuit due to pending litigation.
However, in February, police officials claimed that the officers had undergone “corrective actions,” including training.
Jones filed a lawsuit claiming assault and battery and excessive force. Along with community leaders, she is also calling for Bradley, Staggs and Ray to be terminated and possibly prosecuted.
“We’ve got to take it to the next level, and the next level is prosecution. The next level is arrest. The next level is you lose your job,” Garland Pruitt of the Oklahoma City NAACP said.
For now, the officers are still on duty.
