Woman files lawsuit against Apopka police alleging police brutality

APOPKA, Fla. — An incident captured on an Apopka police officer’s body camera in 2018 is now at the center of a police brutality lawsuit.

Allison Sims, who lives in South Apopka, called 911 for help in December of 2018, but when officers showed up she said they broke into her home and beat her up.

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The police report shows that several officers said they were called to Sims’ home for a second time that night because Sims was repeatedly calling 911, which they said qualified as misuse.

The officers describe Sims as “extremely intoxicated and yelling obscenities” from inside the home, and body camera video shows the moment they went inside.

READ: Man files lawsuit claiming Apopka police beat him following noise complaint

“They didn’t knock,” Sims said. “They just swarmed in my house and snatched me to the ground, kicking me, beating me.”

Sims was arrested that night and spent three days in jail, and she was not charged for that misuse of 911.

She filed an excessive force complaint that had three officers suspended as an internal investigation was done.

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“I want to see justice be served,” she said.

The three officers were disciplined, but Sims is taking her claims to court, claiming police brutality.

The suit says, “The Apopka police excessively physically abused her, without cause or justification while she was on her property,” and that “the excessive physical abuse set in motion an entire sequence of events that caused physical injuries and significant emotional distress that is still ongoing.”

READ: Man sleeping on front porch escapes house fire in Apopka

In the suit, Sims claims Apopka police have negligent hiring, training and retention of its officers.

Channel 9 asked the police department to comment on the allegations, but they have not returned our requests for comment.

Video: Man files lawsuit claiming Apopka police beat him following noise complaint A veteran and former law enforcement officer who says he was beaten by Apopka police for playing music too loud in his driveway is filing a lawsuit. (Chantelle Navarro, WFTV.com)

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