Woman Sues Minneapolis Police & City For Excessive Force
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Twin Cities woman is suing a Minneapolis police officer and the city for what she calls excessive force.
Madelyn Milton, 23, says she needed seven staples in her head last June after being punched to the ground by Officer Tyrone Barze Jr.
He responded to a disagreement between Milton's friends and a cab driver over a fare.
The lawsuit claims Barze Jr. knocked cellphones out of their hands and used tear gas on another woman before punching Milton.
"He turned around and hit her in the face," Milton's attorney Robert Bennett said. "We have eyewitnesses that say he struck her with a full swing, as hard as any of them had ever seen."
Bennett says Barze has been named in four other abuse suits, including two his office handled.
He says in those two separate cases, damages totaled $174,000.
The city attorney says they don't comment on pending lawsuits.
The Minneapolis Police Department is conducting an internal investigation.
