KTUL:

Ladonna Paris said she is filing a lawsuit against the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Tulsa Police Department and responding officers for her treatment by police officers during a mental health episode.

Lawyers for Paris announced a civil suit Tuesday in response to the Tulsa Police Department’s handling of her arrest in October, most notably the conduct of responding Ofc. Ronni Carroccia.

The video of Paris’ arrest has gone viral on social media.

“This video is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Paris’ attorney, Damario Solomon-Simmons, during a press conference.

In a press release, the lawyers say officers taunted, mocked, harassed, attacked and jailed her for manifestations of a bipolar manic episode.

The City of Tulsa claims their officers acted by the book, but police departments in cities all across the US will eventually be using the video to teach their officers what not to do.

See also: ‘Officers Taunted, Mocked, Harassed And Attacked Her’: Woman Sues Tulsa Police For Mishandling Her During A Mental Health Crisis ‘They Knew She Was Experiencing’

Las Vegas Sun:

A civil rights lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officers, the city and Mayor G.T. Bynum by a Black woman who alleges she was attacked and arrested while she was having a mental health crisis.

Ladonna Paris, a 70-year-old great-grandmother said she was terrified at the time of the October incident.

“I was mocked, taunted and brutalized,” Paris said during a Tuesday news conference and that the video gave her a surreal feeling.

“It was like watching somebody else and I would say to myself when they were doing these things, ‘Oh poor Ladonna,’” Paris said.

The incident began at Phillips Theological Seminary where Paris was attending graduate school when witnesses called 911 to report concerns over her mental state.

After an ambulance arrived, Paris drove to a nearby store where she locked herself into a bathroom and refused to leave after police arrived, according to the lawsuit.

“In the midst of a bipolar manic episode, which included paranoia and delusions, Ms. Paris was afraid the officers were going to kill her, so she locked herself in the bathroom and would not come out,” the lawsuit states.

Officer Ronni Carrocci, who is white, is seen on police video banging on the door to the bathroom where Paris was inside, according to attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons.

“You want to get tased … I love my job,” Carroci said as she turns toward the camera.

“She’s so 85,” Carrioca later, and still on video, said using the police code for a person needing mental health treatment, according to Solomon-Simmons.

“She (Carrioca) did all of this on video, knowing she was on video,” Solomon-Simmons said. “She was so giddy about it, it was disgusting.”

A city spokesperson said the city is aware of the lawsuit, but declined comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit filed in Tulsa County District Court alleges 14 civil rights violations, including excessive use of force, ignoring Paris’ medical needs, ignoring training and assault.

The legal action seeks more than $75,000 in actual damages and unspecified compensation for punitive damages and legal fees.

Paris seeks justice and accountability by the city and police for the officers’ actions, according to Solomon-Simmons.

“We want a judge to say this is not constitutional policing, this is unacceptable,” Solomon-Simmons said.

LaDonna is going to get her justice. Tulsa city administration should have gotten ahead of this one while they had the chance.

Please sign this petition.

I would greatly appreciate it.

KFOR:

The Tulsa Police Department is now facing backlash after an October 2021 arrest of a 70-year-old woman in a mental health crisis started making rounds on social media.

The startling 6-minute video of the incident was made from body camera footage of Tulsa police officers in a Tulsa business last October.

A woman named LaDonna Paris, 70, was suffering from a mental health crisis with her bipolar disorder and locked herself in the bathroom.

She was later arrested and spent a month in jail.

After a month, she was released with no charges.

I may be a little biased on this one—since I grew up with her family, and one of her sons was one of my best friends in high school—but I would like to see each and every single cop involved in this travesty not only fired, but nailed to the wall on any charge possible.

The cash settlement is going to be insane. There is no way, in a million years, that this should have happened.

LaDonna is a very intelligent woman. She is accomplished and respected. Tulsa may be the center of her orbit, but she has roots all over Oklahoma and Arkansas. I have been a guest in her home more times than I could possibly count. No matter what the boys were doing on Friday and Saturday nights, she had us at church on Sunday morning. No sir, I would not cross her. These cops messed up.

“This is not right.” – LaDonna Paris