California woman violently arrested by sheriff’s deputies secures $17 million settlement with county

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who was knocked unconscious and arrested by two sheriff’s deputies in Northern California after stopping to change drivers during a family trip in 2020 has reached a $17 million settlement with the county, her lawyer said Monday.

Nakia Porter had filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Solano County Sheriff’s Office deputies violating state and federal civil rights statutes by engaging in “unlawful seizure, assault and excessive force.”

Porter, her father and her three young children were driving home at night on Aug. 6, 2020, when they pulled off the road. Porter, who is Black, was already out of the car when the deputies pulled up with lights flashing and she explained that they were just switching drivers and would be on their way, according to the lawsuit.

Body cameras worn by the deputies recorded them pulling guns on Porter before slamming her to the pavement while handcuffing her along a rural road in the town of Dixon. Her father, Joe Powell, was also placed in handcuffs and briefly detained.

Porter was jailed overnight on suspicion of resisting arrest, but never charged.

“What happened to Ms. Porter and her family should never happen in our society,” Porter’s attorney Yasin Almadani said in a news release announcing the settlement.

Solano County spokesperson Matthew Davis said in a statement that the settlement was reached as both parties “acknowledge that all claims and causes of action relating to the incident are disputed.”

Davis said he could not comment on whether the two deputies involved are still employed.

“We continuously review training, policies, and practices to strengthen community trust and prevent future incidents,” he said.

The lawsuit also accused the deputies of lying on their arrest reports about Porter fighting them and the length of time she was unconscious.

“For those that are listening, I am not resisting,” Porter can be heard saying on the body camera footage. “You are not reading me my rights.”

The deputies then push Porter against the squad car and then to the pavement while trying to handcuff her.

“Put your hands behind your back. Get on your stomach,” one deputy shouts.

Porter alleged the deputies punched her in the head and the stomach, knelt on her back and pulled her hair. She said she passed out seconds after the deputies closed the handcuffs.

“I think she’s out,” a deputy can be heard saying on the video.

Porter, who is 5-foot-2 (1.6 meters) and 125 pounds (57 kilograms), said she was dragged unconscious to the back of the squad car, where she came to about five minutes later.

“These deputies treated us less than human and left a void we are still struggling to fill,” Porter said in Monday’s news release. “I cannot describe what this type of experience does to a person, but I wish it on no one.”