New body camera footage shows a Louisville police officer citing a pregnant woman’s name and issuing her a citation despite her pleas that she was coming and wanted to be left alone.
Louisville Public Media (LPM) reports that Louisville Police Lt. Caleb Stewart issued the woman an illegal street camping citation, requiring her to appear in court and possibly impose a fine.
The woman, who asked LPM not to reveal her name, gave birth to her baby later that day at a nearby hospital, her public defender told LPM.
A spokesman for the Louisville Police Department told People magazine that “we support” officers “exerting caution” while doing their jobs.
“We also understand that everyone may disagree with these decisions, but we are committed to being transparent when communicating and explaining our processes and policies to the community,” the spokesperson said.
Ryan Dischinger, the public defender overseeing the woman’s legal case, told LPM that the woman and her newborn son are healthy and currently living in a shelter without assistance from the police department. .
“Without officer intervention and emergency medical services, the baby would have been born without medical care,” the department claimed. A police spokesperson did not respond to PEOPLE’s questions about whether Lt. Stewart faces any disciplinary action.
Body camera video shows Lt. Stewart returning to his car after telling the woman he was issuing a citation to her. After getting in the car, he recounted what had just happened, accusing the woman of making up a “weird story” about giving birth.
“So, I don’t believe this woman was going into labor at all,” Lieutenant Stewart said. “But I’ve called EMS and asked for code 3 just in case I made a mistake.”
RELATED: Ex-Louisville police officer violated Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, jury finds
Video released by the department shows the woman telling Lt. Stewart she was “leaking urine” and going into labor multiple times.
“You are all evil people,” the woman later told Lt. Stewart, who raised his voice at her and she began walking away from him holding a blanket.
“You didn’t have to yell and you didn’t have to push me,” the woman said, explaining that she wanted to go to her husband, who had just called her an ambulance before police arrived.
Meanwhile, an orange city dump truck can be seen on camera removing the mattress where the woman was resting when police first showed up.
Want the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“You guys are horrible,” the woman told Lt. Stewart and other officers around her. “I’m glad you guys got this job to help the homeless instead of helping society.”
The penalty stems from a new Kentucky law that prohibits people from camping on the streets, according to LPM. The Safer Kentucky Act makes street camping a misdemeanor and can result in fines.
Dissinger, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Friday, told LPM, “The reality for her, and for anyone experiencing homelessness in Kentucky, is that they are constantly and inevitably violating this law. “
“What she needed was help and compassion, but instead she was met with violence,” the public defender said.
Read the original article about the character
