SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio woman is taking legal action against VIA Metropolitan Transit Police and one of its former officers, claiming she was violently pulled from her car and injured during a mistaken stop at a Whataburger drive-thru, according to a federal lawsuit filed in September.
The lawsuit, filed by Valerie Elizondo, accuses former VIA Metropolitan Transit Police Officer Brandon Tamayo of using excessive force and unlawfully detaining her during a September 2023 incident near downtown San Antonio.
According to the lawsuit, Elizondo was waiting in the drive-thru line at the Whataburger on West Cypress Street when Tamayo pulled in behind her vehicle and ordered her to pull aside. The lawsuit claims Tamayo did not explain why she was being stopped and refused to provide identification when Elizondo asked…