Ja’Lana Dunlap-Banks, 22, said she was taking photos for her employer in their parking lot when two Fayetteville Police officers, Ryan Haddock and Amanda Bell, came up to her vehicle and asked for identification.
When she refused and began recording the incident on her cellphone, Banks says they yanked her out of her car and slammed her against it to arrest her. Now, she’s filed a federal lawsuit against the officers involved, as well as the City of Fayetteville and the Fayetteville Police Department.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content.
Dunlap-Banks is a Black woman. Her attorney Harry Daniels said he believes racial discrimination had a part to play in how she was treated.
“I firmly believe that if she was a different color, this would’ve never happened,” he said. Until you show us different as to why you took a 22-year-old, 110-pound [woman] and jack her and throw her up against a car as though she was a hardened criminal, you need to speak to it.”
Dunlap says she was arrested and then let go.
Cumberland County Judge Jim Ammons ruled Tuesday for the public release of police body camera video, The Fayetteville Observer reports. That official footage has not yet been publicly shared.
Earlier this month, Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins said she understood why there was a “cause for concern,” after viewing the video.
“That's why I am making a request to the Superior Court judge for the release of body-worn camera footage for this incident,” the statement read. “We will ensure that the investigation already in process is expedited by the Internal Affairs Unit. The Department takes all complaints seriously and carefully investigates them consistently with our policy and process. We are asking for our community's patience as we complete a thorough review of the situation ensuring accurate and complete information.”
Dunlap is seeking $75,000 in damages. She said she wants to be a voice for those who can’t speak up for themselves.
“You have to you have to demand respect, whether they wear a badge or whether they're just in regular clothes,” she said. “If you're wearing that badge, if you're wearing a uniform, then you're supposed to protect and serve not harm innocent people.”
North Carolina is not a "stop and identify" state, meaning law enforcement cannot ask you to identify yourself unless for a specific reason like a traffic violation.
Daniels said this incident could've ended badly.
"This is not a case of somebody who's buried in the ground,” he said. “This is not the case we had Elizabeth City with Andrew Brown or Brandon Holmes in Concord, but this is the type of case where these things start."
WUNC's Laura Pellicer contributed to this report.
