Post by gotoutoftx on Nov 6, 2006 20:18:55 GMT -5
In 2004 Officer Steve Christian, off duty, in civilian clothes, with no squad car or any type of police identification, attacked me as I exited my vehicle during a dispute with my former husband. He threw me face down onto the concrete (causing my cell phone, with which I planned to call police, to go flying across the parking lot), sat on me with his knee in my back, banged my head into the pavement, and strangled me (while I was already having difficulty breathing due to the "chokehold" he had me in and the fact that he was sitting on top of me with my being face down on the pavement. He did not identify himself as an officer, did not make any statement to the effect that I was under arrest, and at one point identified himself as "hotel security" (the hotel did not employ security). Three separate witnesses contacted 911 reporting a black male in dark sweatsuit handcuffing, beating, and choking a white or hispanic female. I have these 911 calls on tape. When police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene (in response to these calls), Mr. Christiansen refused to identify himself and responding officers were forced to contact his saergent to identify him. Mr. Christiansen wanted to walk away without identifying himself. This interaction between Mr. Christiansen and responding officers was recorded on police radio (of which I also have a copy). He made no arrest and filed no report in this matter. In the official report filed by responding officers, Mr. Christiansen was identified only as "W" for witness. His conduct, and responding officer's conduct, was in clear violation of SAPD policy and procedure and the U.S. constitution. When I was treated at the hospital for injuries, a police saergent stated that I would not have been injured had I shut up and complied with Mr. Christian's wishes - and that I should have "assumed" I was under arrest when Mr. Christian (a black male in civilian clothing with no police ID who did not claim to be a police officer or ever state that I was being arrested) "handcuffed me". I responded by telling this saergent that every judge in the U.S. would be appalled at his suggestion that a civilian female submit to any male with handcuffs, because, according to his logic, the act of being handcuffed was the equivalent of being arrested. I told him he was insane, and that if society were to follow his logic, every pervert, murderer, and rapist (including rogue cops) would have an unlimited supply of victims, and women would have no protection under the law from these nutcases. An IA investigation was determined as "inconclusive". Never was an explanation given as to what Mr. Christian was doing at the hotel, why Mr. Christiansen attacked me, why, if he was acting on legitimate law enforcement business, did he fail to identify himself or place me under arrest, why, after he handcuffed me, he continued to beat and strangle me, why he failed to file a report in the matter, why he was not identified in the report, and why he was not arrested for assaulting me. There are details too numerous to mention in this e-mail, but I am alleging multiple violations of my civil rights against Mr. Christian and the SAPD.