CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
A pregnant woman Tasered by police last week on the South Side filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Chicago Police.
Four Chicago Police officers "brutally attacked" and "shocked with a Taser Gun" a visibly pregnant Tiffany A. Rent during a June 5 encounter over a parking ticket outside a Walgreen's at 10300 S. Michigan Ave., according to the suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.
The officers then "mocked and laughed" at Rent -- who was eight months into a medically high-risk pregnancy -- as she lie on the ground in pain, the suit claims. Rent and her unborn child later required attention at two separate medical facilities.
"This should not be the policy of the Chicago Police department to deploy the use of Tasers in any situation that is not nearly life threatening to the safety of the officer or to others, but certainly not over a parking dispute," attorney Kenan Saulter said.
At a press conference on Thursday, Rent said her 3- and 9-year-old children witnessed the incident. The suit claims the children were unreasonably detained and falsely imprisoned.
"No child should have to go through seeing their parents being harmed like that, by someone they were taught to trust, which is the Chicago Police department," Rent said.
Rent, who is 8-months pregnant, says the only reason she got out of her vehicle was because her 3 year-old daughter climbed out.
Police said Rent was issued a ticket for parking in a disabled spot, then "tore up the ticket and threw it in the police officer's face."
"Let's say she did rip the ticket up, is that a reason to Tase someone? Is that where we are with the amount of violence that goes on in this city?" Saulter said.
When the officer asked Rent for her state ID so he could write her a second ticket for littering, Rent refused, shouted "several expletives and refused to comply," police said. Rent then tried to put her car in gear and leave, and the officer deployed his Taser, police added.
Her boyfriend, Joseph Hobbs, tried to intervene, and was also arrested, police said. Both Hobbs and Rent were charged with misdemeanor assault and resisting a police officer, police said. The suit claims the charges were an "attempt to cover-up the illegal and brutal attacks."
The suit, which also lists Rent's children as plaintiffs, seeks more than $75,000 plus attorneys fees.
The attorneys also called for a review and investigation of the police department policy on the use of Tasers on pregnant women.
"I don't think that it should have went this far. It makes me afraid of the Chicago police department because there's other women that may have went through this or that is going through this. And it shouldn't happen," Rent said.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
