Woman Pulled From Car By Cops Closer To $1.7 Million Settlement

CHICAGO — A woman whose violent arrest at Brickyard Mall in 2020 was captured on a video that went viral on social media came a step closer to a nearly $1.7 million payout to settle a federal lawsuit against the city.

In a split vote, a City Council committee on Thursday approved the proposed settlement that would be split between Mia Wright and four others who were in the car the day of her arrest.

Mia Wright's encounter with police happened during civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

Wright was in a car in the mall parking lot on her way to shop with family and friends for a birthday party on May 31, 2020 when police broke out the passenger side window, pulled her from the vehicle and "onto the ground by her braided hair," according to court papers.

That's when an officer pressed a knee with the weight of his body on her neck. She couldn't breathe and was in "paralyzing fear" as her face and neck were pressed to the concrete. Broken glass was lodged in her eye during the encounter with police, according to the lawsuit.

Discussion of the proposed lawsuit settlement sparked a contentious debate.

Ald. Ray Lopez said he believes the settlement could expose the city to lawsuits from people who were engaged in looting and vandalism during protests over George Floyd's death.

And Ald. Nick Sposato said it seemed "odd" that Wright and the others her had traveled to the Northwest Side mall when widespread looting was going on.

Ald. Jason Irvin responded to Sposato, saying people have the right to move about the city.

"What’s wrong with somebody who lives at Pulaski and Cermak coming to the Brickyard to shop?" he said.

Ald. Leslie Hairston called Sposato's comments troubling, and asserted that the Chicago police department has a racial-profiling problem. "When you are a person of color in this city you are targeted because of the color of your skin," she said.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Caroline Fronczak said the city's independent police watchdog's investigation found no evidence that Wright, Tnika Tate, Kim Woods, Ebony Wilbourn and Javon Hill, were involved in illegal activity before the incident, and predicted the city had a less than 10-percent chance at winning the civil case at trial.

The settlement deal was forwarded to the full City Council for approval on a 13-7 vote.

Lopez, Sposato and Alds. Brian Hopkins, Marty Quinn, Silvana Tabares, Ariel Reboyras and Anthony Napolitano voted against the settlement.