The city of Philadelphia will pay a Black woman $2 million after police allegedly pulled her from her car, beat her, and separated from her nephew and toddler.
Rickia Young, 28, unknowingly drove into a protest after the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. in late October.
Wallace was shot in West Philadelphia by police while experiencing what his family called a mental health crisis. Wallace reportedly had a history of mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to ABC6.
While Young was making a three-point turn and following police instructions to leave the area, officers broke her SUV windows before handcuffing her and separating her from her 16-year-old nephew and 2-year-old son, her attorneys told the press at the time.
The Fraternal Order of Police, America’s largest police labor union, later posted a Facebook picture of Young’s son being held by a Philadelphia police officer.
“This child was lost during the violent riots in Philadelphia, wandering around barefoot in an area that was experiencing complete lawlessness,” the union said in a since-deleted Facebook post.
No one was charged or cited in the incident, according to Young’s lawyers. However, the payment marks the first time that the city has paid a large settlement in a nonfatal incident, according to CBS3 Philadelphia.
“This terrible incident, which should have never happened to anyone, only further strained the relationship between the Police Department and our communities,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) said in a statement to CBS3.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said that the incident involving Young “violated the mission of the Philadelphia Police Department,” according to CBS3.
Critics such as Philadelphia City Council member Jamie Gauthier, who represents the neighborhood where this event took place, called the post “propaganda” and condemned the officers’ actions, according to NBC News.
Two Philadelphia police officers were fired as a result of their connection to the incident with Young, and 14 other police department personnel await disciplinary proceedings following an internal affairs investigation, a representative from the mayor’s office said.
Updated at 6:08 p.m.