An 84-year-old grandmother who alleges she was seriously injured by officers of an Arizona police department already under fire for numerous complaints of excessive force has filed a federal civil lawsuit against two policemen and their department.
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Virginia Archer filed the suit Thursday morning at the U.S. District Court in Phoenix, alleging she was unlawfully arrested on Feb. 14 and subjected to "excessive, brutal and completely unnecessary force" by Mesa police officers who went to her home checking on the safety of her grandson.
Pictures shared by family members showed the grandmother suffered cuts and bruises to her arms and face.
"This shouldn't happen, there should never be any reason for an 84-year-old grandmother, who just had her fourth stroke in December, to be put on the ground like that," Ashlee Hahn, Virginia's granddaughter said.
Mesa police are conducting an internal review to determine if the officers involved acted with professional standards and training.
The complaint names officers C. Orr and D. Grimm, as well as the department.
Media relations Officer Steve Berry said the department could not comment because the case involved pending litigation. The individual officers could not be immediately located to request their reactions.
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