Roshan Butler with police following the crash, after cops pulled guns on her with their body cameras turned off.
An East Haven resident is suing the town of Hamden and one of its cops for alleged negligence — after she crashed her car into a police cruiser that she claims was poorly positioned while attempting to block traffic.
The filing of the suit comes roughly a week after the Independent wrote a story concerning that same incident, which took place in 2020.
On Aug. 4 of that year, a woman named Roshan Butler had guns pulled on her by three police officers after she was in a car accident. The officers said they pointed their guns at her following the crash because her vehicle matched the description of another car involved in shootings that had taken place that same night in the same area.
Butler could not be reached for comment for this article. But a lawsuit filed by Butler and her Attorney Johnpatrick O’Brien in Superior Court on Thursday seeks to hold the town and one officer, Sgt. Michael Mello, accountable for what happened that night.
The lawsuit is not referring to the fact that guns were pointed at an innocent unarmed person or claiming that the altercation was not properly documented. Instead, it blames the town and Mello for causing the accident itself.
That night, Officer Mello reportedly parked his cruiser in an easterly direction on Whitney Avenue in an attempt to block traffic while officers were dispatched to attempt to locate potential shooters in the vicinity. Butler, who was traveling towards New Haven along Whitney, then T‑boned his car.
Attorney O’Brien writes in the lawsuit (read it in full here) that Butler suffered “serious injuries of a serious, painful and permanent nature,” including a fractured leg, sprained cervical spine, shoulder and wrist, as well as emotional distress after she drove into a police cruiser two years ago. She seeks damages of more than $15,000 due to medical costs and lost work hours.
The suit accuses Mello of carelessness, asserting that he failed to keep a proper lookout, maintain control of his vehicle, parked his vehicle in an inappropriate position, failed to illuminate his vehicle lights and turn on emergency lighting, failed to yield the right of way, and failed to use signage to indicate the presence of a car in the middle of Whitney Avenue.
Butler’s attorney argues that the town is also liable for the incident, as it bears responsibility for the alleged negligence of Sergeant Mello.
Acting Chief Tim Wydra said he and Mello were unable to comment on the case.
Body Cams Turned Off
There is no visual evidence of the officers pulling out firearms on Butler that night, because officers had their body cameras turned off at the time.
Wydra said the three officers were justified in not turning on their body cameras in order to protect themselves from potential harm by a potential shooter — though Butler turned out not to have been involved in those shootings.
Watch what footage does exist, including Butler pleading with police, “please don’t hurt me,” in this video here.
And read more about the case in detail here, as well as about how the police department has been under scrutiny for the past month after having attempted to destroy 100 volumes of public records, including civilian complaints and use of force reports, such as the use of force report filed by officers following their encounter with Butler.