Opinion ID: 6111840
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Williamson’s arrest

Text: Officers Lucky Nguyen and John McGough 3 (the Officers), handcuffed Williamson with her wrists behind her back and brought her to a seated position. But as they lifted her toward a standing position, they lost their grip on her and she rolled back to the ground on her stomach. The Officers then repositioned Williamson onto her back and again tried lifting her. Officer Nguyen held Williamson under her left arm, and Officer McGough held her under her right arm. As they lifted her up, Williamson initially placed her feet under her, but she did not support her own weight. The Officers struggled to lift Williamson and pulled her backward by her arms and wrists while she was in nearly a seated position. Williamson was loudly chanting before the Officers started removing her from the room. During the approximately 12 seconds that she was being pulled from the room, Williamson screamed continually. As the Officers and Williamson approached the exit door, Officer McGough released Williamson’s upper right arm, and Officer Nguyen dragged her through the doorway alone, by her left wrist and forearm. In the hallway outside the meeting room, Williamson told the Officers that they had hurt her shoulder, and they 3 Officer McGough’s name is spelled inconsistently throughout the record and the district court’s decision. This opinion uses the spelling from Officer McGough’s declaration. WILLIAMSON V. CITY OF NATIONAL CITY 7 called an ambulance. The Officers also double-cuffed Williamson to lessen the tension on her arms and make her more comfortable, but she complained that they were “still pulling” her arms in doing so. Paramedics arrived, evaluated Williamson, and offered to take her to the hospital, but she refused to go with them. The Officers then arrested Williamson and took her to a detention facility. After she was released the next morning, Williamson drove herself to the hospital. She suffered a sprained wrist, mild swelling, and a torn rotator cuff. 4