FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A woman who attended a Black Lives Matter event last year in Fort Lauderdale has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and nine police officers after she was hit in the face with a rubber bullet.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday evening, describes Ratlieff as "unarmed and defenseless" while she was at the protest. It claims the shooting left Ratlieff with "serious and permanent eye damage, neurological injuries, and other directly attributable physical and emotional injuries."
"We're filing this lawsuit because there have been no changes. If there were to be another protest against police brutality, Black, Brown, and white people who would come to that demonstration continue to face the risk that there might be tear gas and rubber bullets used against them," Ratlieff's attorney said during a news conference.
According to a police report, Detective Eliezer Ramos was exonerated on charges that he violated two department policies. He was cleared of "careless or reckless use of a firearm, baton, or other weapon," and "unnecessary use of force."
While the police report says the protest was largely peaceful, it adds after the "original event" was over, some protesters gathered around police cars and threw "projectiles" at officers inside their cars.
According to the report, Detective Ramos saw a person reach for a gas canister and pointed his "40 mm less-lethal weapon" at them. At the same time, Ratlieff crossed between Ramos and the protester and was shot in the face as a result, the report says.
During the press conference, attorneys add Ramos has apologized to Ratlieff, but she has not received any other apologies from the city or police department.