Dec. 15 (UPI) — A woman whose baby was ripped from her arms by officers in New York City in 2018 is set to receive a $625,000 cash settlement from the city.
The settlement is in response to a lawsuit filed by Jazmine Headley in federal court in August. Headley was sitting on the floor holding her 1-year-old child at a crowded social-services office in Brooklyn on Dec. 7, 2018, to inquire about child care benefits when officers tore the baby from her arms.
“Through her intelligence, bravery, and grace, Jazmine Headley turned the worst ordeal of her life — and of any parent’s — into an opportunity for change for the entire city,” said Headley’s lawyers, Katherine Rosenfeld and Emma Freeman.
A bystander’s video of the incident quickly went viral. She can be heard on the video saying, “They’re hurting my son! They’re hurting my son.”
According to the legal complaint, Headley’s child suffered physical, mental and other injuries, and Headley’s name and image would forever be associated with the experience.
According to the legal complaint, officers had demanded she leave and she responded by saying she wanted to see a supervisor.
Police have said officers for the city’s social services agency and from NYPD responded to Headley.
Immediately after the incident she faced possible charges for resisting arrest, acting in a manner injurious to a child, obstructing governmental administration and criminal trespass. Headley spent four days in jail, but those charges — and a New Jersey warrant related to charges of credit card fraud — were dropped.
The two guards who initially confronted Headley were suspended for 30 days without pay.
Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized to Headley publicly days after the incident, and his spokeswoman, Olivia Lapeyrolerie, said Friday that the city failed to treat Headley with dignity and respect.
