Woman claims North Braddock officer arrested her for filming traffic stop

A North Braddock woman is suing North Braddock Borough and four police officers in federal court for allegedly violating her civil rights after her arrest for filming an Aug. 19 traffic stop.

Keaira Booker, 23, said that she was wrongly arrested when a North Braddock police officer spotted her filming the traffic stop near Brinton and Sheridan Streets in North Braddock.

Booker works as a residential adviser for people with disabilities and also identifies as a community activist concerned about police interactions with the public, according to court documents.

No one from North Braddock Borough or the police department could be reached for comment Friday.

Booker was driving home from meeting a friend when she noticed the traffic stop, she said during a press conference held with her attorney, Todd Hollis, in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday.

She said she initially thought the man being questioned by the officer was her father. She remained at the stop and continued recording even after realizing it was not him.

Booker said she was legally parked and observing the traffic stop without interfering when Sgt. Larry Butler approached her car to say that she was blocking the roadway and needed to move, according to court documents.

A video recorded by Booker during the encounter shows that Butler told Booker that she was blocking the roadway. After she moved her car closer to the sidewalk, Butler asked Booker for identification and told her that she was illegally parked. At that point, Booker said the officer became agitated because he knew he was being recorded.

Booker said she was then removed from the car, put in handcuffs and arrested. She also alleged that other officers searched her without consent.

“He pulled me out of my car, slammed me against my car, basically drug me over to his patrol car,” Booker said.

Booker was charged with disorderly conduct. Those charges were later dropped.

“I was very scared when it was happening,” Booker said. “I felt violated. I felt — the only thing that was going through my head was that I was going to be the next Sandra Bland. And still to this day, living in the area where that cop patrols, I’m scared every day.”

Bland, a black woman from the Chicago area, died in police custody in 2015 after she was arrested by a white state trooper during a traffic stop in Texas. The trooper was fired after he was indicted for perjury over the traffic stop.

Bland recorded the encounter with the trooper, who can be seen in the video yelling at Bland and pointing a stun gun at her.

Now, Booker is accusing the officers of using excessive force during the arrest and search, and of making up criminal charges against Booker to conceal their wrongdoing.

The lawsuit also accuses the borough of failing to properly hire, train and discipline officers, and alleges that Butler has a history of misconduct.

North Braddock Police Chief Isaac Daniele is also named in the lawsuit.

“This lawsuit isn’t our intent to demean all of the great police officers and the work that they perform,” Hollis said. “But the fact of the matter is, is that this particular police officer has a problem. And if this particular police officer’s chief approved these charges, then again, that particular borough has a problem that has to be addressed. Because what happened to Keaira on that day could happen to any other citizen on any other day.”

North Braddock Borough, council members, the mayor, police department and police chief are facing a separate federal lawsuit filed earlier this month by a former officer alleging civil rights, whistleblower and wiretap violations.