Woman claims NY cops caused her miscarriage as they 'slammed her', bodycam footage shows otherwise
BROOME COUNTY, NEW YORK: New York woman Quashaia Oranchak recently claimed that a traffic stop in March during the sixth month of her pregnancy caused her to have a miscarriage. The woman alleged that she was pulled over by an unmarked vehicle on March 20 while returning from her grandmother’s house in Binghamton, adding that officers slammed her against the hood of her vehicle before taking her into custody.
Oranchak went on to allege that she had a miscarriage from the stress and anxiety of the arrest just moments after arriving at the Broome County Correctional Facility, the Daily Mail reported. However, New York State Troopers refuted the claims and said that the woman refused to pull over before she struck an officer’s vehicle in an attempt to flee. They added that Oranchak had traces of fentanyl and methamphetamine in her body at the time of the incident. They have released bodycam footage to prove their claims.
READ MORE
‘Your well-being is part of my responsibility’
The bodycam footage showed an officer getting out of his car and approaching Oranchak's Range Rover. Shortly after, two other cops can be seen drawing their gun on the woman while asking her to get out of the car. Oranchak can then be seen stepping out of the car with her hands raised before being handcuffed by an officer while standing against the side door of the car. During the arrest, a cop can be heard acknowledging the woman’s pregnancy and asking about her condition.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, like I told you before, I'm a reasonable guy. I see that you're pregnant. If you're not good, you need to let me know because you're in my custody now. Your well-being is part of my responsibility,” the officer was heard saying. “I’m OK for right now,” Oranchak could be heard replying.
Another officer could also be heard saying, “She kept running away from me.” At one point, a cop could be heard telling Oranchak, “The issue is you ran,” while explaining why she was being taken to a police vehicle. Meanwhile, the woman could be heard saying she was trying to find a safe place to pull over.
‘They wouldn't have stopped her car’
Earlier, Oranchak and her family reportedly said that they were considered taking legal action against the New York State Troopers and the New York State Department of Justice for “infringing upon her rights,” as per the Daily Mail. “When people look at all of the facts and circumstances of what happened here, that you will be able to infer that if this car had white people, it would not have happened,” Oranchak’s attorney, Ron Benjamin, said at a news conference, adding, “They wouldn't have stopped her car.” The lawyer further claimed that the cops “unleashed such violent conduct because she's Black.”
In the wake of Oranchak’s arrest, police told Fox News Digital that they found traces of fentanyl and methamphetamines in her body and drugs in her car. “A quantity of fentanyl and methamphetamine was located secreted in her body,” a spokesperson said. She was reportedly charged with criminal possession of controlled substances, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle. Reports suggested that Oranchak became unresponsive at the Broome County Correctional Facility and was transported to a hospital before she miscarried.
Oranchak continues to claim that the traffic stop caused her miscarriage despite the release of the bodycam video. “There's no doubt that the police's stop and the arrest were unlawful, and we will pursue the violation of her rights vigorously,” her lawyer said in a statement to the publication.
‘Nobody to blame but herself’
As the bodycam of Oranchak’s arrest made rounds online, social media users took to Facebook to react to the incident. “I feel for her but she only has herself to blame for her miscarriage law-enforcement, did nothing but their job in this video,” one user commented. “She has nobody to blame but herself,” another added. “If she had those drugs in her system those drugs are what just what caused her miscarriage,” a third user wrote.
Anither user said, “Glad the truth is being shown because these are some lies that keep us divided when we have an opinion without facts!” while another said, “And if she hadn't run, she wouldn't have been arrested! She should be arrested again for filling a frivolous and false lawsuit, made to pay the court costs to showcase her BS.”
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.