A woman who suffered permanent eye damage when she was shot in the face by Fort Lauderdale police during a 2020 protest has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Latoya Ratlieff filed the lawsuit against the City of Fort Lauderdale and the individual officers involved. That includes Detective Eliezer Ramos, who fired the foam bullet.
Ramos shot Ratlieff with the foam bullet while outside of a parking garage near Huizenga Park toward the end of a Black Lives Matter protest.
The protest in downtown Fort Lauderdale was one of hundreds during the summer of 2020 that arose as video footage was released depicting the murder of George Floyd.
Crowds had mostly dispersed and a group of about 10 protesters remained. Lawyers say police repeatedly shot tear gas canisters and so-called “less lethal” projectiles at Ratlieff and the group.
According to the lawsuit, police did not give the crowd an opportunity to disperse before using force.
In December of last year, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department found that Ramos did nothing wrong because it was "not his intention" to hit Ratlieff.
The city of Fort Lauderdale declined to comment.
Ratlieff and her lawyers are holding a press conference tomorrow in front of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
