An Ohio mother has accused police of sending her 17-month-old son to the hospital with burns when they raided her home by accident and used a “flash-bang” device to search for suspects.
The Elyria police Special Response Team executed a search warrant at a home at 331 Parmely Ave. on January 10 “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation,” the agency said in a statement.
“During the tactical operation, two diversion devices, commonly known as ‘flash-bangs’ were used outside the residence,” police said.
“These devices produce a noticeable sound and light in day or night conditions and are intended to distract the suspect’s (sic) attention,” they said, adding that the devices “do not produce continuous combustion and they do not use or contain any pepper gas or agents chemistry.”
Police said officers made repeated announcements before entering the home, where they found a woman and her 17-month-old son, Waylon.
“The woman informed officers that the child had a pre-existing medical condition,” police said.
Courtney Price said on Facebook that her son, who was already on a ventilator, was burned and covered in glass and smoke after police broke a window and used the device.
Ohio mother Courtney Price has accused police officers of injuring her 17-month-old son when they used a “flash-bang” device when they raided her home. Facebook / Courtney Paige
“All I saw was flashing lights and smoke coming into the house,” Price told CBS News. “I didn’t know what to do because there was a gun pointed at me. I wanted to run at him, but I knew if I ran at him … they could shoot.”
He said he was taken out and handcuffed.
“I screamed, ‘My baby, my baby, he’s on the ventilator, my baby’s here,'” Price wrote on Facebook.
“The diagnosis was chemical pneumonitis from the chemicals in the flash explosion,” he told CBS News.
A member of the Elyria police Special Response Team is accused of using a flash-bang during a raid. Facebook / Courtney Paige
Police said Price told detectives that he planned to take the boy to the hospital “because the child’s existing illness was not related to tactical operations.
“However, he did not have a car seat available for transportation,” police said. “Elyria Police detectives called Lifecare Ambulance to the scene to provide any medical treatment deemed necessary by EMS.”
Paramedics evaluated the child and provided transport to the hospital, according to a police statement.
“Any allegations that the child was exposed to chemical agents, lack of medical attention or negligence are untrue,” police said, adding that they and Price confirmed Waylon had no visible injuries at the scene.
Price’s son Waylon is in the hospital. Facebook / Courtney Paige
“The investigation that led to the affidavit to obtain a search warrant for 331 Parmely Ave. in Elyria Ohio is still active and ongoing,” police said, adding that the warrant was executed at the correct address.
Price wrote on Facebook that “15 seconds were all it took to turn our world upside down” after he heard “the loudest knock on the door” and moments later the police broke in.
“I had several guns pointed at me and I was just frozen in fear, I could see smoke coming out of the blacked out window right where my baby was laying & I knew she couldn’t inhale it,” she wrote.
“There were 20+ officers in the house. No one had the decency to check on my baby, remove the glass from him or take him out of the house that had smoke in it,” continued Price.
Price’s son uses a ventilator at home because of an existing medical condition. Facebook / Courtney Paige
“Everybody was mean enough to sit there and let my baby breathe in that air and fight to breathe. The SWAT team had 2 medics, one listened to her with a stethoscope and said ‘sounds clear,'” she wrote, adding, “My baby is not sounding clear.”
Price also claimed that “negligence on the part of the Elyria Police Department caused my baby to have a chemical reaction in & around his eyes. They caused my baby to stop breathing for a few seconds this morning.”
His aunt, Redia Jennings, who had been renting the house for a year, said police had come several times looking for the suspect who did not live there, CBS News reported.
Jennings and her husband, Marlon, said they had nothing to do with the suspect.
Price’s house after the police raid. Facebook / Courtney Paige
“I was walking in my house, and I just… [I] can’t believe it,” Redia told WKYC. “I don’t like anything sitting on my kitchen table, so you can imagine [with] everything was piled up on the floor, and just everything was upside down — the bed, the TV, everything.”
Price said he took Waylon to the Cleveland area for heart surgery, but that has now been postponed, according to the outlet.
The child was moved from the ICU at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, but is being treated for lung inflammation, eye irritation and lingering smoke effects, Price told WKYC.
According to Price, his son was diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis from the chemicals in the flash-bang. Facebook / Courtney Paige
“We came here for a fresh start, and now I feel very unsafe here,” Price told the outlet. “I’m just trying to survive and stay for better care, but I don’t like being here right now. It is hard.”
Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker called the allegations “outrageous and deeply troubling,” adding in a statement that a “complete review of the incident and all information” would be released soon.
He said body camera footage from the incident would be released Tuesday.
“Our residents are demanding to know what’s going on, and rightfully so,” Brubaker said. “Thankfully, our City has the technology to record events in real time through many body-worn cameras throughout the entire incident. I am very grateful that this camera captures clear audio and video, from several angles. I look forward to releasing this footage for all of you to see.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
