A Black woman was allegedly assaulted by California deputies while she was in the hospital.
On Thursday (February 1), a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on behalf of Malia Ashad, who alleges she was “viciously” beaten by deputies from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, per KRON 4.
The incident unfolded after Ashad suffered head injuries while in Alameda Superior County Court on Aug. 9, 2022. Ashad was appearing in court for a “private family matter” when a woman hit her in the head with a cell phone, according to her attorney Adante Pointer.
Pointer said deputies also struck Ashad in court, causing her to hit her head on a table and lose consciousness. Ashad was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and taken to Kaiser San Leandro Medical Center for her injuries.
According to Pointer, medical staff said Ashad needed a CT scan, but deputies allegedly disagreed, saying she was “was going to jail.”
“We’re not taking her to CT for anything. All I need her is cleared for incarceration. She’s going to jail,” Sgt. Ruth Jones says in a video provided by the attorney.
Video then shows deputies holding down Ashad to a hospital bed by her neck and face.
“You just hit me. I can’t breathe,” Ashad said in the video. According to her lawyers, Ashad was punched, grabbed by the throat, and slammed onto her hospital bed.
Pointer said Ashad never got the CT scan and was taken to jail. Criminal charges against her were later dropped.
In a statement, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said Ashad “received appropriate medical treatment,” and the video provided by the attorney doesn’t paint the full picture.
“The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the release of information from Adonte Pointer et al. that included clips from body-worn camera footage, presumably obtained during criminal proceedings from an August 2022 case that involved the complainant.
The released clips are a limited and skewed depiction of the incident and do not represent the totality of what occurred. Beyond stating that the complainant received appropriate medical treatment during that incident, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office must reserve further comment on a lawsuit for which we have not received service.”
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