In 2019, Stephanie Bottom, a 66-year-old grandmother and Atlanta librarian, was driving to a family funeral in North Carolina when she was a victim of excessive force during a traffic stop. Bottom was pulled over on Interstate 85 for driving 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and failing to heed blue lights. Bottom said she did not immediately realize police wanted her to stop, was looking for a safe place to pull over when police used spike strips to stop her SUV.
Once officers stopped her car, they approached her with guns drawn, she said.
Law enforcement officers in Rowan County grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground, tearing her rotator cuff in the process of handcuffing her. Bottom said the injury she suffered at the hands of officers kept her out of work — and without a paycheck — for eight months.
Now 68, Bottom is suing three officers, the sheriff of Rowan County, N.C., and the city of Salisbury, accusing them of using excessive force and violating her Fourth Amendment rights. The lawsuit alleges that none of the officers were disciplined for their actions.
From the Washington Post
Also at the Charlotte Observer
