Ja'Lana Dunlap announced the lawsuit at a Tuesday press conference. A North Carolina woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Fayetteville police, alleging she was assaulted and unlawfully handcuffed in September. On Sept. After taking the photos and returning to her car, Dunlap said two Fayetteville police officers, who were searching for a suspected fugitive, approached her, asking why she was on the property.
Dunlap said she provided her name and explained she was taking photos for her boss. Dunlap said one officer then asked her to provide identification. She said she declined, knowing North Carolina is not a "Stop and Identify" state, meaning residents are not legally obligated to provide an ID if they have not committed or been suspected of committing a crime. At one point, she said an officer reached into the vehicle and grabbed her left arm to pull her out of the vehicle, at which point Dunlap asked the officer to stop and began recording the interaction on her phone.
Dunlap, who said in the press conference that she suffers from sickle cell anemia, said she began hyperventilating due to the stress and at one point vomited. The officers eventually released Dunlap after she said they forcibly removed the fanny pack around her waist to check her ID and confirmed her identity.
Dunlap was never arrested or charged with any crime and later filed a formal complaint with the police department. Her lawsuit alleges the officers violated her federal civil rights by falsely arresting her, using excessive force and infringing on her freedom of speech. The complaint also claims police violated North Carolina law by allegedly assaulting and falsely imprisoning her, intentionally inflicting emotional distress and trespassing, among other allegations.
The lawsuit also names Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins and the City of Fayetteville, accusing them of negligent hiring, training and supervision. The police department did not comment directly on the lawsuit, but Hawkins wrote in a previous statement to ABC News that an investigation is already underway and will be expedited by the Internal Affairs Unit.
