Jessica Mooney filed a lawsuit this week after claiming Fort Lauderdale copsbeat her in a 2016 incident. Mooney included photos of the injuries suffered, which included bruising all over her left arm and her left eye, which was left purple and almost swollen shut.
Mooney was with her fiance in 2015 when they witnessed Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Victor Ramirez slap a homeless man in the face. In 2016, Ramirez was charged with misdemeanor battery and arrested. Mooney testified in court against him. According to Mooney, two weeks later, Ramirez's fellow cops arrested her wrongfully outside the Quarterdeck Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale where they beat her, threw her to the ground, and she was sent to the emergency room.
Mooney's lawyer Robert Selig could not confirm if the alleged assault was related to her speaking out against Ramirez. When asked, he said, "I don’t know," he told Miami New Times. "I really don't know. The facts will have to come out during the trial. But it is just a fact, that she was a witness in that case, and it's a fact that this then happened to her."
An FLPD spokesperson told Miami New Times she could not comment on the matter at this time.
FLPD officers arrested Mooney on petty theft charges, as well as child endangerment, charges which were eventually dropped. Mooney was held at Broward County Jail until two days after her arrest. Mooney told the cops she believed the charges were false and asked Officer Amanda Moreno for her name and badge number. The officers then allegedly grabbed her, tossed her to the ground, and proceeded to kick and punch her. According to her lawyer, the officers present said Mooney yelled obscenities and tried to strike Moreno. Video footage proved the claim by the officers was not true. The video was not released due to state law. Moreno "smashed her face" on a fingerprinting machine and "three or four more" officers continued to beat her while she was down. Officers have not been charged in the beating.
The video shot by Mooney's fiance quickly went viral. The video shows the homeless man, Bruce LaClare, attempting to enter the bus terminal in Fort Lauderdale to use the bathroom. Ramirez made him walk outside, grabbed his arm, and said, "You're not going to go pee. You're not supposed to pee here." Ramirez eventually slapped the man and did not include that detail in his police report.
Ramirez had a long history of excessive-force complaints during his time as an officer. Still, Ramirez was ultimately found not guilty of criminal charges.
