A New York City woman has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD, after police officers handcuffed her to a hospital bed during active labor and just after the delivery of her son in December 2018.
The woman, who is black, was 21-years-old and 40 weeks pregnant when officers arrested her at home. Her attorney says it was for a minor charge that was later dismissed.
But that day the woman, referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, was detained for hours in a police precinct cell, where she reportedly went into labor. According to the court filing, the woman was handcuffed in the ambulance and at the hospital until soon before she delivered her son. She was restrained to the bed again after the birth. Her legs were shackled as she walked down the hall to visit her newborn in the NICU.
The NYPD declined to comment.