BK Protester Slammed In Face With Police Baton Sues City: Docs

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn woman left bleeding on the ground after police charged a group of protesters in the days following George Floyd's murder has sued the city, court records show.

Patricia Delfin, her face slammed with a police baton, landed in the hospital on May 29 after she and her partner decided to join a group of protesters marching past their home near the Bed-Stuy border, according to the lawsuit.

"Within a few blocks, Ms. Delfin and the others were surrounded by officers dressed in riot gear. Once the protesters were trapped, the officers charged without warning," the lawsuit reads.

The NYPD declined to comment on Delfin's case, citing pending litigation. The city's Law Department said they will review the complaint.

The lawsuit — which outlines a pattern of violent police behavior both prior to and during police brutality protests last year — contends the city, NYPD top brass and Mayor Bill de Blasio should be held accountable for both "condoning" and "encouraging" the conduct against Delfin and other protesters.

It is one of many suits that has been filed against the city for police actions last year, including by New York's own attorney general. Police conduct during the protests has also prompted a review from the Civilian Complaint Review Board and an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.

In Delfin's case, police charged twice with no warning — batons and shields in hand — into a crowd of protesters who were boxed in near Classon and Lafayette avenues, according to the suit.

Delfin, who lost her shoe in the first charge, was smashed in the face with one of the police batons right above her eyebrow. Slammed into a parked car by the momentum of the crowd, she eventually was able to roll across the hood and get to the curb, where her partner screamed for help, according to the suit.

"On the ground, Ms. Delfin realized that her entire face was covered in blood and there was a pool of blood on the ground next to her," the suit reads. "It was hard for her to see. Her mask was soaked with blood and now unusable. She reached up and felt a gaping wound on her forehead."

Delfin and her partner made their way to an FDNY ambulance near by, but were refused help by officers gathered there, the suit claims.

"The hospital is that way,” said one of the cops, pointing to Methodist Hospital a few blocks away, according to the suit.

After getting stitches at the hospital, Delfin struggled to return to her day-to-day, facing dizziness, blurry vision, headaches, fatigue and nausea for weeks as she tried to run her business and take care of her three children, the suit says. She is still traumatized "physically and emotionally" from the incident, according to the suit, which was filed in late August.

Delfin, reached through her attorney, declined to offer further comments on the case.