ALARMING

Cops Pulled Black Librarian Out of Car by Her Hair and Shoved Her to the Ground During Traffic Stop: Lawsuit

One of the police involved in the incident allegedly “bragged about ‘grabbing a handful of dreads,’ and said ‘at that point she earned it.’’

A 66-year-old librarian is suing police in North Carolina for allegedly using excessive force during a 2019 traffic stop in which she says she was thrown to the ground. The woman, Stephanie Bottom of Atlanta, was on her way to a funeral, driving 80 in a 70 mph zone, when police tried to pull her over. She said when she stopped her vehicle, police approached her with guns in position before pulling her out of her car, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court. Bottom said she suffered a torn rotator cuff from the incident and was unable to work for eight months as a result of officers from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriff’s office throwing her to the ground. One of the cops involved in the incident allegedly “bragged about ‘grabbing a handful of dreads’ and said ‘at that point she earned it,’’ according to the lawsuit.