ST. LOUIS • A woman is suing the city of St. Louis and its police department over what she says was police brutality when she was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun after a protest in 2015.
Kristine Hendrix, 36, was standing on a sidewalk following a peaceful protest when, without warning, she was shocked with a stun gun and arrested, . She was charged with resisting arrest and impeding traffic, but was later acquitted after a judge ruled she wasn’t given an opportunity to comply with officers’ commands before the stun gun was used.
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The nonprofit law firm ArchCity Defenders filed the suit in circuit court on behalf of Hendrix, who is a University City School Board member and a mother of three. The suit accuses officers Louis Wilson and Stephen Ogunjobi of excessive force and assault. It also accuses those officers and a third officer, Lt. Daniel Zarrick, with false arrest and malicious prosecution. The suit accuses the city of negligence in training and supervision.
The police department referred questions about the suit to the city attorney’s office, which declined to comment.
Hendrix had been taking part in a march against police misconduct downtown on May 29, 2015, before . The arrest drew criticism after Hendrix posted cellphone video online.
The video showed her and a man walking on a sidewalk near Washington Avenue downtown before a male officer uses a Taser to subdue both. The rest of the video is mostly a black screen, but Hendrix’s screams and the clicking of the Taser can he heard, along with an officer’s repeated command: “Put your hands behind your back.†She tells him she can’t because it hurts, and he uses the Taser again.
Police said a few days later that Hendrix and other protesters were and were causing traffic problems. They said into whether the officer’s use of the Taser complied with police policy. The results of that investigation have not been made public.
The suit says Hendrix was part of a group of no more than 15 protesters who were standing on the sidewalk near 11th Street and Washington Avenue arranging for transportation home when police officers started arresting them.
The officers had earlier yelled at the protesters while they were standing on sidewalks around Busch Stadium, alleging they were impeding traffic and blocking exits, the suit says.
Hendrix asked the officers why they were making the arrests and police ordered her to “get back,†the suit says. She did so, raising her hands up, the suit says.
Another protester being arrested handed his phone to Hendrix to videotape him, the suit says. She taped his arrest and turned around to see an officer rush from the street to use a stun gun on another protester in the group.
As she watched, Ogunjobi, who was out of Hendrix’s sight, used a stun gun on her and she fell to the ground, the suit says. She was on her stomach with her right arm underneath her when Wilson ordered her to put her hands behind her back and Ogunjobi used the stun gun on her again.
“I can’t, it hurts! I can’t, it hurts! It hurts so bad! Please, please stop!†Hendrix said in response to Wilson’s command, according to the suit.
She was shocked again after handcuffs had been secured around her left wrist but before she was completely in handcuffs, the suit says.
Hendrix was acquitted of criminal charges in December.
The suit seeks an unspecified amount in monetary compensation for damages and legal fees.