Family: Police assaulted Mesa grandmother

The Mesa Police Department is under fire and conducting an internal review after a Facebook post went viral alleging officers roughed up — and cited — an 84-year-old stroke survivor and grandmother.

Shared more than 12,000 times by noon Saturday, the Thursday night post shows a frail woman in a hospital gown with a black eye and bruises and cuts from her forearms to her wrists. In the video from her hospital bed, the woman, whose family said she has suffered four strokes and has chronic medical ailments, struggles to make sense of the ordeal in her neighborhood on Valentine’s Day. Officers were responding to a call of a man with a

gun.

While at the hospital recounting her interaction with police, she remembered thinking, “Don’t treat me like this. I don’t want to have a stroke. I don’t want to have a heart attack. Don’t treat me this way.”

Now her family wants the officer who took her to the ground held accountable for what they say is excessive use of force that illustrates shortcomings in how police are trained to interact with vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities and the elderly.

“We would like to see a new platform for police training in assessing situations better,” said Ashlee Hahn, the woman’s granddaughter who posted the video, in a Saturday interview with The Arizona Republic. “Handling the mentally ill and elderly with care should be a given and a huge part of their training.”

The police department on Friday said it “was made aware” of the Facebook post and immediately initiated an investigation to determine whether the officers involved followed protocol and best practices.

Police on Saturday declined further comment to The Republic.

Hahn said family members called police Wednesday to report a suicidal man who lives with her grandmother in Mesa. Officers saw someone matching the person’s description moving from a vehicle toward a home in the area.

Police said officers made verbal announcements toward the residence. That’s when the elderly woman came to the door and stepped out, police said.

Virginia, whose last name is not being published at the family’s request, citing her vulnerable state, initially followed commands to come toward them, police said.

“Once she was near them, she appeared to show confusion and attempted to return to the residence,” Mesa police said in a statement Friday. “In order to keep her out of harm’s way, a use-of-force incident occurred with the female, who was injured.”

The woman was treated and transported to an area hospital. The man, who shares the property with her, was detained for evaluation.

Police also recovered a BB gun inside the home.

Virginia and her family say the case is an example of excessive force.

Police were initially asked to not bother or question the woman because of her “fragile” state, Hahn said, adding that another relative was the one who made the call for a welfare check.

“They forced her out of her home into the street, holding her arms tight enough to leave bruises and bleed,” Hahn wrote in the Facebook post. “Her inability to hold still (because of her previous strokes) inclined them to slam her down, head first on the asphalt. They handcuffed her after she woke from her unconscious state.”

An officer who came to the hospital “only seemed to care about deflecting and defending the officers involved. No accountability. No apologies,” Hahn wrote.

The woman was also cited for obstruction, the family and police confirmed.

“She is absolutely traumatized,” Hahn told The Republic, adding that Virginia is having “flashbacks, mental breakdowns and constant fear.”

Virginia was unavailable for an interview Saturday, Hahn said.

“She is taking this really hard and needs a day of rest,” she said.

The incident is the latest in the Valley to involve allegations of excessive force against an at-risk individual.

A teen with autism was injured last year in Buckeye after a police officer mistook him for a drug user.

The Mesa Police Department came under scrutiny in December when former Officer Philip “Mitch” Brailsford, who shot and killed the unarmed Daniel Shaver, became the latest officer to be acquitted of murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting.

The Mesa Police Department said it is reviewing Wednesday’s incident to determine if protocol was followed.

Police on Saturday declined further comment to The Republic but did say at least part of the incident was recorded on an officer’s body-mounted camera. That video was not yet releasable to the public due to the ongoing internal investigation, police said. Police have not identified the officer involved.

It was not immediately clear when that video would be made available nor was it known what sort of timeline should be expected for additional findings from the internal review.

“Our officers are trained to be considerate and respectful of all citizens,” the department said in its Friday statement. “These situations are fluid and can pose a risk for anyone involved. Rest assured — we are dedicated to the safety of everyone in our community.”