A San Luis Obispo
woman is suing the city of Paso Robles and former Paso Robles police officer
Jeffry Bromby for allegedly using excessive force during her July 30, 2010,
arrest.
Rodi’a
Monterroso-Bragg (who goes by the name Bragg) was 21 years old when she claims
Bromby “without provocation, cause, or warning, violently threw plaintiff down
to the street” while he was responding to a reported theft at a Paso Robles
grocery store on a 93-degree summer day.
Before Bromby arrived
at the scene, Bragg had already been subdued and restrained by store employees
for stealing a $2.99 bottle of juice. But Bromby threw her to the ground and
held her for more than 85 seconds, which resulted in injuries and burns to her
forearms, the lawsuit alleges.
“Defendant Bromby
began to attack plaintiff, forcing her against the scorching asphalt as she
cried out in agony and pleaded with him to stop,” according to court documents
filed July 18 by attorney David Vogel.
Bragg wasn’t provided
medical attention at the scene and was instead left to sit in the patrol car
for about 10 minutes while Bromby and two other officers conducted an
investigation. She was arrested and charged with petty theft, battery, and
resisting arrest. Though Bragg ultimately pleaded guilty to the petty theft charge,
for which she was sentenced to community service, the District Attorney’s
Office dismissed the other charges after reviewing video evidence of the
arrest.
New Times provided a
copy of the arrest video in the August 2011 story, “Paso’s cop headache."
In addition to
Bromby, the lawsuit lists other defendants including the city, acting Police
Chief Robert Burton, former chief Lisa Solomon, and City Manager Jim App.
Bromby resigned from the department for undisclosed reasons on June 30, 2011,
after eight months spent on administrative leave.
Solomon resigned
March 20 of this year amid accusations of retaliation and sexual harassment by
Paso Robles police officers.
City attorney Iris
Yang told New Times she hadn’t received a copy of the lawsuit for review as of
this writing.