A white Missouri law enforcement officer whose seven years with the Kansas City Police Department have been tainted with accusations of killing three civilians, police brutality and legal actions against him remains on the job, even as a new lawsuit accuses him of excessive force against a Black woman.
In a lawsuit filed Feb. 6 with the Platte County Circuit Court, Bermeeka Mitchell of Lansing, Kansas, accused Officer Blayne Newton of assault and battery stemming from events that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2022.
Mitchell was livestreaming an arrest at a Walmart in Platte County, Missouri, as Newton was working off-duty, reported the Kansas City Star.
According to the lawsuit, an unknown individual motioned for Nelson to arrest Mitchell for trespassing, at which time the officer “grabbed and twisted both her arms in a forceful manner” and took his boot’s heel and ground it into Mitchell’s foot.
His handcuffing during an arrest of Mitchell – which, according to the lawsuit, Mitchell said he had no legal basis to do – was done so tightly that it left visible marks, the lawsuit claims.