Woman arrested on Jersey Shore beach sues Wildwood, police officers

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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Woman arrested on Wildwood beach files suit against city
A Philadelphia woman whose violent arrest at a New Jersey beach was captured on video has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit

WILDWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Philadelphia woman whose violent arrest at a New Jersey beach was captured on video has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Emily Weinman, 22, was initially charged with assaulting a police officer on the beach in Wildwood in May of 2018 but pleaded guilty earlier this year to disorderly conduct.

The officers who could be seen in the video punching her while trying to subdue her were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Weinman alleges police escalated the situation and lied to a grand jury about what happened on the beach over Memorial Day weekend last year, when Weinman repeatedly refused to give officers her name when they questioned her about the presence of alcohol on the beach.

A video shot by a nearby beachgoer showed an officer punching her twice in the head as she lies on the sand, her legs flailing.

In published reports, Mayor Ernie Troiano has called lawsuit "frivolous" and "a money grab."

Weinman's plea deal called for a year of probation, and she was banned from Wildwood and its beaches for a year.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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