A Hispanic woman who sued the Township of Woodbridge, New Jersey, for excessive force, claiming police officers violently assaulted her as she stepped out of the shower, will receive a $197,500 settlement.
Katiria Ortiz was 30 years old on June 21, 2018, when police raided her South Amboy home, allegedly seeking to stop her from destroying evidence of drug trafficking by her ex-husband, Joshua Pardo.
Pardo had been under surveillance by the Woodbridge Police narcotics investigation unit, and was seen driving away from Ortiz’s house that morning. Police had a search warrant for Pardo and his vehicle, and tried to pull him over. Pardo fled, and an officer saw him fling a bag out of the car during the chase. That bag was later found to contain smaller baggies of cocaine.
Another officer later testified he saw Pardo appearing to make a call on his cellphone, and that the narcotics team suspected he might be calling Ortiz to alert her to hide other contraband…