Woman whose leg was amputated following drug arrest sues Salt Lake police

Pat Reavy, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — A West Valley female is suing nan Salt Lake City Police Department claiming that an wounded she suffered a twelvemonth agone during a misdemeanor supplier apprehension was truthful terrible that doctors were forced to amputate her leg.

Agnes Jean Martinez, 58, revenge her title successful national tribunal connected July 31. On Friday, Salt Lake City constabulary released assemblage camera video pinch schematic contented and connection from nan incident and announced that it had invoked its officer-involved critical-incident protocol to person an extracurricular agency reappraisal nan actions of nan officers.

On Sept. 1, 2023, conscionable aft 8:30 p.m., 2 officers — Lane Wolfenbarger and Paul Mullenax — pulled Martinez complete astatine 425 W. 1700 South. In assemblage camera video, nan officers look to bespeak they person had interaction pinch her before. During nan stop, Wolfenbarger detected nan odor of marijuana coming from Martinez’s car, prompting him to hunt it.

While searching nan mitt box, Wolfenbarger recovered a mini magnitude of meth, according to nan assemblage camera video. He past walked backmost to wherever Martinez was opinionated and informed her that she was nether arrest.

In nan videos, Martinez, who had been cooperative pinch officers to that point, appears to beryllium amazed that she is being arrested and tenses up arsenic Wolfenbarger attempts to move her arms down her backmost to spot handcuffs connected her.

Wolfenbarger tells her to extremity resisting respective times earlier saying he will “take you to nan crushed adjacent … do you want to spell to nan ground? Relax your arms.”

As soon arsenic Martinez is forcefully put connected nan ground, she originates to outcry successful utmost pain, according to nan videos, and screams, “My leg!”

The serviceman is heard telling his partner, “Her limb conscionable broke.”

According to Martinez’s lawsuit, “Because Agnes was ‘not relaxing,’ nan officers utilized a takedown method truthful vulnerable that it has been declared unlawful erstwhile utilized against a minimally resistant nonviolent misdemeanant. The officers injured Agnes truthful severely that she had to acquisition aggregate surgeries and an above-the-knee amputation of her near leg. The unit was unnecessary, excessive, grossly disproportionate, and violated rule that has been intelligibly established successful nan 10th Circuit since astatine slightest 2022.”

Wolfenbarger performed a “leg sweep” soon aft saying “ground,” nan suit states.

“Wolfenbarger placed his correct limb adjacent to Agnes’s near limb successful bid to travel her. Wolfenbarger past performed a limb expanse maneuver. Agnes was slammed to nan ground, landing connected her near leg. Wolfenbarger dropped his weight onto Agnes’s near limb supra nan knee. Mullenax dropped his weight onto nan little portion of Agnes’s leg,” according to nan lawsuit.

Both officers were instantly alert that her limb was broken, nan suit states, and called for aesculapian unit to respond to nan scene.

Martinez’s limb was amputated connected Sept. 27, 2023, and different information of her limb amputated supra nan knee 2 days later.

The suit states that nan takedown method utilized connected Martinez was wished to beryllium forbidden successful 2022 by nan 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, but Salt Lake City constabulary had not revised its policies.

Martinez was charged successful 3rd District Court pinch 2 counts of misdemeanor supplier possession, possession of supplier paraphernalia and interfering pinch an officer. Her adjacent tribunal day is scheduled for Friday.

“This is simply a unsocial situation,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said successful a prepared statement. “Upon reviewing nan facts and allegations, we elected to invoke nan officer-involved captious incident protocol successful nan liking of transparency, accountability and to guarantee compliance pinch authorities law.”

The section besides noted that it “does not presently person independently verified accusation regarding nan aesculapian causes aliases reasons down Ms. Martinez’s limb amputation.”