New York, NY — Jazmine Headley, a Black mother whose 1-year old son was forcibly pulled from her arms by NYPD police officers during an arrest, will be awarded $625,000 settlement from the city of New York after she filed a lawsuit in connection to the incident.
A year ago, Headley was at a social services office in Brooklyn to inquire about her child care benefits. She was seated on the floor with her baby in her arms as there were no more available seats. The cops then demanded her to leave.
When she told the cops that she wanted to see a supervisor, a struggle ensued and things escalated quickly. The incident was captured by a bystander on video that eventually went viral on social media.
In the video, she can be seen on the floor on her back as officers wrestled her and took her baby from her. She can also be heard saying, “They’re hurting my son! They’re hurting my son!”
Headley was then slapped with several charges, but those were all eventually dropped.
Days after the incident, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized to her publicly.
In August, Headley sued the City of New York, claiming she was “humiliated, assaulted, physically injured, threatened with a taser, brutally separated from her son, handcuffed, arrested, and jailed—all by employees of the City of New York.” She is now set to receive $650,000 settlement.