PASCO - Charges of
brutality were levied at the Pasco Police Department Friday morning. A woman
has come forward claiming officers roughed her up in what turned out to be a
case of mistaken identity.
Maria
Davila-Marquez claims she's still scarred three years after being arrested by
Pasco police.
“I feel terribly,
I was discriminated against and I want justice,” said Davila-Marquez.
It all stems from
May of 2009. Pasco police responded to a complaint about a suspicious
red-headed teenager when two officers stopped Davila-Marquez on her way home.
She claims she was interrogated, physically harmed and never got a Spanish
translator that she asked for.
“Miss Davila was
handcuffed and she was thrown on the hood of a very hot patrol car and she
suffered burns to the left side of her face, bruising to her shoulders from
being handcuffed and manhandled,” said Davila-Marquez’s attorney Vito de la
Cruz.
According to the
documents, neighbors came forward to police to explain Davila-Marquez wasn't
who they were looking for. She was released only to be charged later with
hindering a police officer.
“My comments about
a smokescreen relate to the police charging her, that sometimes occurs and
often occurs when there is police wrongdoing,” added de la Cruz.
The lawsuit
accuses two officers of police brutality, Ryan Flanagan and Zachary Fairley.
“When I go to pick
up my kids after a day of work, I'm really afraid they'll stop me again and
damage me and hurt me again,” said Davila-Marquez.
Both the police
department and city officials declined to comment on the lawsuit because they
haven't seen the details of the claim.
“I think without a
doubt if there was someone to assist Miss Davila to help translate all of this,
we wouldn't be here today,” added de la Cruz.
Now, Pasco finds
itself on the defensive until the justice system sorts out what happened three
years ago.
Lawyers for Maria
Davila-Marquez haven't said how much they're suing Pasco for. They say that
will be disclosed if the case goes to trial.