An 18-year-old Black teen was arrested at gunpoint by officers who admitted to pulling over the wrong vehicle, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit.
According to WPDE, La'Nisha Hemingway, a North Myrtle Beach High School graduate, filed the lawsuit against the city and three police officers alleging that she was wrongfully detained.
The lawsuit stems from Hemingway's encounter with North Myrtle Beach police officers on May 3. According to Bailey Law Firm, officers pulled Hemingway over, removed her from her car, and "forced her to walk backwards at gunpoint and then handcuffed her."
Police admitted to pulling over the wrong vehicle after they ordered Hemingway to get on her knees, the law firm said.
"That's not it," an officer can be heard saying in body camera footage before pointing a gun at Hemingway.
According to attorney Tyler Bailey, officers didn't ask Hemingway for her license or registration during the traffic stop. After letting Hemingway go, officers allegedly didn't ask for her name. Attorneys also allege that an arrest report wasn't made until several days after the incident.
"If that was anybody else, who I believe, that may have looked differently, there may have been a different respect that was shown," Bailey said.
In response to the suit, a police spokesperson said in a statement: "The North Myrtle Beach Police Department does not comment on cases pending litigation."
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