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A Black teen in South Carolina has been awarded a $250,000 settlement after she was detained at gunpoint by police who mistook her car for a stolen vehicle, Atlanta Black Star reports.
The wrongful arrest of 18-year-old La'Nisha Hemingway unfolded on May 3 in North Myrtle Beach. Officer Kayla Wallace pulled over Hemingway, who was driving a dark gray Dodge Charger, amid a police search for a stolen silver Dodge Challenger. Despite Hemingway's vehicle having a different license plate than the stolen one, Wallace and a second officer, Mike Pacileo, went on to detain the teenager.
Body camera footage shows Wallace recognizing the mistake before holding Hemingway at gunpoint, handcuffing her, and searching her vehicle without verifying her registration.
Hemingway was reportedly driving to meet her friends for a pre-graduation celebration. She repeatedly asked why she was being stopped, requested to call her mom, and told officers to check her documents.
Roughly a month after the incident, Hemingway filed a federal lawsuit, alleging false impressment, excess force, and negligence against the officers.
Hemingway's lawsuit was settled by the city for $250,000. The officers involved in the incident remain employed.
“The police officers around the world are supposed to be here to protect us not cause no one harm or trauma,” Hemingway said in a statement. “The incident with North Myrtle Beach Police Department ruined my life. I’m not the same anymore. Every night I’m up thinking about how my life would have been taken away.”
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