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A Layton woman filed a lawsuit Monday against Layton City and one of its police officers, claiming the officer used excessive force against her last year.
Katie King thought she was just going to get a citation for having her two pit bulls running around the neighborhood, but she got more than she expected.
"What he did was wrong. I didn't do anything to justify that," King said.
While Officer Shawn Walton was assisting an animal control officer, he asked King routine questions, which she answered. But when he asked her to get off the phone, that's when things changed.
Walton's dash-cam capture their conversation:
- Walton: "Get off the phone."
King: "Excuse you?"
Walton: "No, excuse you. Get off your phone right now."
King: "No."
Walton: "Your dogs are running at large."
King: "I'm not going to talk to you. Don't touch me! What the (expletive) are you touching me for?"
Walton: "Put your phone down! Put your phone down!"
King: "Get the (expletive) off me! I didn't do anything!"
The video doesn't show much of the confrontation because of the trees in the front yard, but the city attorney's office is defending Walton, saying he did what he was supposed to do.
"He did grab ahold of her as she resisted, pursuant to his training. When someone is resisting, you try to rid them of their leverage, which means taking them to the ground," said Steve Garside, assistant Layton city attorney.
Pictures taken after the incident show scrapes on King's arms, torn jeans and mud on her shirt. Her attorney, Robert Sykes, filed the lawsuit to send a message.
"There has to be some limit to what an officer does. They're not free to do whatever they want to do. They're not free to beat people up for no reason," Sykes said.
Layton's City has 20 days to respond to the suit, followed by a scheduling hearing. If this case moves forward, a trial date could be set in seven to nine months.
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Story compiled with contributions from Nicole Gonzales and Paul McHardy.
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