The College Fix

Police thought she was an underage girl buying booze. But it was only bottled water. After three felony charges and a long night in jail, one student was left traumatized. The College Fix first reported this story last July:

A University of Virginia student was arrested after she fled from state alcoholic beverage control officers–with a bottle of water in her hands.

The raid was intended to crack down on suspected alcohol possession by underage youth. But the “raid” ended up looking like a case of embarrassing overreaction by authorities.

According to a news report of the incident, Elizabeth Daly, 20, bought “a carton of water, cookie dough and ice cream,” and then attempted to exit the Charlottesville store.

That’s when things started to get crazy.

A state beverage control officer–dressed in plain clothes, mind you, not in a uniform that would allow the young lady to easily identify him–approached Daly because the officer thought she was carrying a case of beer.

Apparently, being confronted by this unknown stranger, who was not in uniform and who was demanding to see what she had purchased, spooked the young lady. She told a reporter she and her friends were “terrified” by the sudden confrontation. Well, that’s understandable. Unfortunately, she fled in her car and in the process “struck” two government agents.

Quicker than you can say the words “bottled water,” she was booked on felony charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer and eluding police…

Now Ms. Daly is suing for big bucks, according to The New York Daily News:

Daly said she had been terrified when strangers surrounded her car and began pounding on the windows. She couldn’t roll down a window without starting the car, and when she did, one agent jumped on the hood and another pulled a gun, she has said repeatedly since the incident…

Daly called 911 in a panic and eventually surrendered after the dispatcher confirmed that them men swarming her car and attempting to break the windshield were, indeed, officers of the law. They booked her on multiple felony counts and made her spend the night in jail.

“The agents acted with actual malice, out of embarrassment and disgrace … and charged (Daly) with three felonies and did so out of anger and personal spite,” the suit claims.

Sounds like a bunch of vengeful police taking out their frustration on a understandably frightened young co-ed. Still, $40 million sounds a bit excessive.

I guess Ms. Daly is lucky that the officers didn’t shoot her.

Nathan Harden is editor of The College Fix and author of the book SEX & GOD AT YALE: Porn, Political Correctness, and a Good Education Gone Bad.

Follow Nathan on Twitter @NathanHarden

(Image: DonkeyHotey.Flickr)

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