NEW YORK — A woman who was shoved to the ground by a New York City police officer during a protest over the death of George Floyd in a widely seen video has sued the city in federal court.
Dounya Zayer said in a lawsuit filed Monday that she was “brutally struck” by a police officer at a May 29 protest in Brooklyn as she exercised her constitutional right to protest. Bystander video of the altercation was viewed millions of times on Twitter and spurred outrage among protesters and elected officials.
Zayer was hospitalized for a head injury she suffered when she hit the ground. She said she suffered a concussion and back pain.
“Officer D’Andraia insulted me and then assaulted me,” she previously said. “There were hundreds of officers around and not a single officer stopped to help me.”
Officer Vincent D’Andraia was charged with assault and suspended without pay. A supervisor who was on the scene was also transferred as a result of the investigation.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A spokesperson for the city’s law department said they would review the case.
Zayer’s lawyer, Tahanie Aboushi, called for officers to be held accountable.
“Dounya is suffering immensely from the assault by Officer D’Andraia that was witnessed by Commander Edlemen and dozens of other officers that walked by as she lay injured in the street,” Aboushi said. “We must protect protesters and our right to protest.”
