A 17-year-old girl from San Bernardino, California, identified as Erin, is speaking out after a viral video showed her being body-slammed by a police officer outside a local grocery store. The video, which has been widely shared online, shows Erin partially handcuffed and being slammed face-first into the pavement by an officer.
Erin, who appeared at a press conference alongside her family, expressed that she has been feeling excruciating pain all over her body since the incident. She said she has not been the same person since the ordeal.
Her mother, Tanya Brownridge, has been caring for her daughter’s injuries and says Erin’s condition has not improved. According to Brownride, she has taken her daughter to the hospital multiple times as she continues to complain about feeling pain in her head, wrist, legs, and back.
The incident happened on May 21 when officers were called to a grocery store on West 2nd Street for reports of trespassing and fighting. According to police, Erin was being handcuffed but tried to pull away and walk off, which led to the officer using a takedown manoeuvre.
In the video, Erin can be seen falling to the ground with a hard impact, her chin hitting the pavement. Erin’s grandmother, Rhonda Taylor, expressed her heartbreak, saying, “I’m not OK because that grown man knocked my baby out cold. You could see the blood by the police car where it busted her chin open.” Taylor also added that her family have gotten three different stories from the authorities, highlighting inconsistencies, and now they want justice.
Erin’s family says she did nothing wrong and that she and her friends were attacked by a group of other teens in the store. They are requesting a separate investigation to be conducted by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
