The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Lawsuit claims Bridgeport officer used excessive force
BRIDGEPORT — Two months after she was found guilty of interfering with police, Wanda Mendez has filed a lawsuit against the officer who arrested her the night of her daughter’s birthday/preHalloween party in 2017.
Mendez was found guilty in September of interfering with police when more than 40 officers swarmed her home that October night and broke up her party after receiving a noise complaint.
Now Mendez, who in a video is wearing a Wonder Woman costume as she is taken by police in handcuffs, claims in a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court that an officer used excessive force in arresting her.
“The level of force employed by the defendant was excessive, objectively unreasonable and in violation of the Plaintiff ’s constitutional rights,” states her lawsuit seeking unspecified money damages.
Mendez’s lawyer, Robert Berke, declined comment on the lawsuit.
Mendez’s brother, Carmelo Mendez, who claims he was subjected to beating and kicking by police officers who responded to the party that night, has a $5 million excessive force lawsuit against the Police Department.
In her lawsuit, Mendez claims Officer Stavos Mirtsipuolos, without justification, violently shoved her into a fence leading her to strike her head, causing pain and injury.
“The force utilized was unnecessary, the injury was significant, and was not in good faith, was malicious, sadistic and done to cause harm,” the suit states. “As a result of the defendant’s conduct, plaintiff sustained bodily injuries, emotional distress, embarrassment and humiliation, and deprivation of her constitutional rights.”
City officials did not immediately comment. The city is contractually required to represent police officers sued for actions taken while on duty.
On Oct. 21, 2017, Mendez was hosting a preHalloween party at her Colorado Avenue home when police showed up in answer to a noise complaint.
Fortysix police officers ended up descending on the home. Seventeen would later be cited by the city’s Office of Internal Affairs for a number of offenses including using excessive force and lying on official reports.
The investigation found that six officers had used excessive force, although Mirtsipuolos was not among those officers.
Ten officers were also found to have been untruthful about that night, according to the report.
During Wanda Mendez’s criminal trial, Berke was prevented by Judge William Holden from presenting before the jury anything about OIA’s findings in the case.
Instead, the jury only heard testimony and saw a video of the six and a half minutes from the time police arrived at Mendez’s home to when officers took Mendez away in handcuffs.
Officer Natalie McLaughlin testified Mendez’s boyfriend, Fernando Morales, became aggressive when McLaughlin told them to turn down the music. “He was pointing his finger in my cover officer’s face and at that point I called for cover units,” she said.
Officer Michael Mazzacco responded to McLaughlin’s call for cover units and ended up calling a 1032, code for officer needs assistance, which brought officers from all over the city to the Colorado Avenue scene.
“It was a hostile atmosphere,” he testified. “Officer McLaughlin was surrounded by citizens.”
Mazzacco testified that he tried to arrest Morales who he said had become very aggressive, yelling profanities at officers when Wanda Mendez interceded.
“She put her hands on my chest and pushed me,” he said. “She was obstructing my path, pushing me away, she was interfering.”
In the end, Mendez was convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to an unconditional discharge.