June 14--Attorneys for a pregnant woman who was shocked by a stun gun during a dispute with police in the parking lot of a Far South Side Walgreens say they will file a lawsuit in federal court today.
Tiffany Rent, 30 and eight months pregnant, said a Chicago police officer used a Taser on her last week after she tore up a ticket in the parking lot of a Walgreens in the 10300 block of South Michigan Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood.
Police say the officer warned Rent he would use the stun gun if she drove away after tearing up the ticket, throwing it at his face and yelling, "You ain't arresting (expletive)." The officer fired the stun gun as she put her SUV into gear, according to a police report.
When asked about the use of stun guns on a pregnant woman, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said: "Well, first of all, you can't always tell whether somebody is pregnant. So, you want to use it where you are overcoming assault or preventing escape. That's what it boils down to."
But Rent insisted the officer who shocked her was close enough to see she was pregnant. She said she's worried about her unborn son, especially because she lost two babies in the past.
Rent is expected to join her attorneys at an afternoon news conference in their Loop office today.
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