Megan Sheehan left scarred for life after Oakland and BART cops arrest

Home Top

show ad

Home Top

'We're in a race against time to get off': Desperate rescue mission to save dozens stranded on Everest - as terrifying video emerges of the moment giant avalanche engulfed climbers
'If you don't return we'll know that you've already lived the equivalent of at least 100 lives': The heartbreaking letter from a friend Google engineer was carrying to read at Everest summit before avalanche killed him
The eerie moment hundreds of birds filled the sky as terrifying earthquake hit Kathmandu: Spooky footage emerges of flock fleeing crumbling buildings
'We're running low on food and fuel and we have to get down': US mountaineer posts dramatic updates as stranded team that tragically lost camp doctor in devastating avalanche await helicopter evacuation
'Our Sherpa died in front of my eyes. It's hit me hard': American doctor on Everest tells of dramatic moment 'huge blast' hit her tent... and frantic efforts to save lives in aftermath
Oil exec and his son shot dead 'execution-style' by heavily- armed teen robbers in home invasion that has shocked New Orleans
Girl, 12, finishing 2.5 year battle with leukemia, is invited back to Catholic school that dismissed her for poor attendance
NBC execs leaked new details of Brian Williams 'lying' to shame him into resigning - and taking a $30million golden parachute, report claims
New family tragedy for Nicole Kidman as former brother-in-law dies suddenly of a heart attack in New York at 46 - just seven months after death of her father
Gunrunner has pleaded guilty to illegally supplying Aaron Hernandez with three weapons as he confesses he was 'awed' by the former NFL player
They need a bigger boat! Watch the terrifying moment a HUGE great white shark attacks New Zealand film crew in tiny boat
Detox your kitchen and GLOW with health: Want to look slim AND healthy this summer? Our major new series shows it's not you that needs a detox - it's what's in your fridge and cupboards...
Revealed, the foods that keep you slim as you age: Cheese and yogurts are in, but red meat, potatoes and rice are out
For all your apocalypse needs: Hundreds flock to Prepper expo to stock up on bunkers, tactical bicycles and armored cars
Jay Z claims there is a 'multi-million dollar smear campaign' against his Tidal streaming app after 'delays by Apple hit downloads'
Casino suites, marble bathrooms and aquariums in the sky: Inside the booming industry of private jet design... where the super-rich splash out $90MILLION on luxury interiors
Teacher on her way to supervise prom is killed when she was hit by two students also on their way to the dance
Goji berries, acupuncture and 24 herbal tablets a day: UK fertility guru reveals her secrets after helping a thousand women defy the odds to fall pregnant
The second baby window: As a new study analyses the mental and physical effect of the 'interpregnancy interval' on mothers, what is the right amount of time to wait before conceiving again?
'We had hundreds of family meetings': Kim Kardashian reveals how she, her mom and siblings dealt with Bruce Jenner's decision to become a woman
'It was hard to wrap my head around, he was such a manly man': Bruce Jenner's first wife opens up about the moment in their marriage that he thought he was a woman
Top fundraiser opts out of Hillary campaign as Clinton Foundation hit by 'slush fund' verdict
How new WNBA star took in her newborn niece after her sister fell ill and is still caring for her 20 months later
Piano teacher, 75, kills himself outside courthouse just hours before mistrial declared in his sex abuse case

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
Megan Sheehan was arrested in 2014 for suspicion of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intoxication
She is filing a civil lawsuit against BART and Oakland, California, police who she says used excessive force during the arrest
She claims she was violently slammed to the ground, where she was then left bloodied and unconscious, with several broken facial bones
Police report says she was 'violently punching' and 'guided' to the ground
Attorneys for BART say Sheehan is partially responsible for her injuries

By Kelly Mclaughlin For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:23 EST, 26 April 2015 | Updated: 17:41 EST, 26 April 2015

103

View
comments

A bartender and model has filed a civil lawsuit against the police, claiming officers used excessive force during her arrest when they slammed her to the ground, breaking four bones in her face.

Megan Sheehan, of San Francisco, said that camera footage of Bay Area Rapid Transit officers and Oakland Police conflict with what police say happened the night she was knocked unconscious at Santa Rita Jail.

She had been arrested and booked at the Santa Rita Jail for suspicion of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intoxication on St. Patrick's Day of 2014.

Scroll down for video

Megan Sheehan, of San Francisco, was knocked unconscious and suffered broken facial bones and cracked teeth after police took her to ground at Santa Rita Jail

Sheehan claims that camera footage of Bay Area Rapid Transit officers and Oakland Police conflict with what police say happened - that she was guided to the ground after 'violently punching'

Security and body camera footage shows Sheehan being booked into the jail after a night of heavy drinking when two officers grab Sheehan's arms and slam her to the ground.

Sheehan, who said she's psychologically still recovering from the attack, suffered severe facial injuries and was left bloodied, lying on the ground after the incident.

She said that she is embarrassed with how drunk she was the night she was arrested, but that didn't warrant the force the police used.

'I should have never gotten that drunk, but also there are ways to detain someone and not break their face,' she told ABC.

Sheehan was arrested by a BART officer, which she said she deserved because she was being drunk and belligerent.

She was intoxicated, 'verbally argumentative' and didn't appear to be able to take care of herself, BART Police who found her sitting on a bench inside a station said, according to SF Gate.

Moment drunken model was 'slammed to the ground' by cops

In the right side of the video frame, Sheehan can be seen being grabbed by two officers who take her to the ground. She then loses consciousness and police call for medical assistance

As Sheehan lies unconscious in a pool of her own blood, medical staff and an officer try to tend to her injuries. Medical staff were called after a woman behind the jail counter asked if Sheehan was 'down', and officers told her 'you might want medical', according to body camera footage

She had to be taken to the ground to be handcuffed and she hit an officer in the shoulder as well as kicked him in the face, police said. She was booked on resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intoxication.

Sheehan was taken to Santa Rita jail in Dublin, where her handcuffs were removed so she could remove her jewelry. She was 'initially compliant', but after she was told she couldn't bring a hair tie into the jail, she threw it at one of the officers.

She then 'inexplicably' started looking through her purse and didn't stop when asked to do so, BART police said.

Officer Nolan Pianta put her in an 'arm bar control hold to gain compliance', but she resisted and tried 'violently punching', the police report said.

Sheehan said she is embarrassed by how drunk she got the night of the incident and that she deserved to be arrested. But she added that her drunkenness shouldn't warrant the police to be as forceful as they were

Sheehan, a bartender and model, filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. She names BART and Officer Pianta as defendants

She was then 'guided' to the ground by BART and Oakland Police officers, the report said. But Sheehan claims she was forcefully slammed to the ground and left severely injured.

Surveillance footage shows Sheehan being grabbed by two officers and being taken to the ground head first.

She lost consciousness, suffered four broken cheek bones, a split molar and a cracked front tooth, according to SF Gate.

'They knew by throwing her to the ground without having her hands available to break the fall, that she was going to suffer serious head injuries,' Sheehan's attorney John Scott told ABC.

He added that she was uncooperative, and that he believes the excessive force was intentional.

Sheehan was arrested by BART officers in a transit station on St Patrick's Day of 2014. She booked into the jail for suspicion of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intoxication after a night of heavy drinking

Sheehan said it took her a long time to recover from her injuries physically, and psychologically, she still has yet to fully recover

'In police jargon, she flunked the attitude test,' Scott said, claiming that Sheehan was being 'taught a lesson'.

Sheehan was treated by nurses in the station and was taken to the hospital. She said it look a long time to recover physically and she is still recovering psychologically.

She is seeking unspecified damages in her suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. She names BART and Pianta as defendants.

Attorneys for BART said in court papers that no wrongdoing occurred and that Sheehan was partially responsible for the injuries she sustained.

Sheehan was treated by nurses at the jail before she was taken to the hospital. She suffered four broken cheek bones, a split molar and a cracked front tooth