Kieanna Garrett said she took pictures of her face in late December 2023 after her arrest at a traffic light.
They show a cut next to her eye and bruises.
“I’m OK physically but emotionally I’m drained. I’m stressed,” she said. “I’m not scared to speak out because I want justice served. This has to stop.”
Garrett said she was with her boyfriend, Phillip Lightsey, in the car at a red light when two officers walked up with their guns drawn.
In her arrest affidavit, those officers allege the vehicle had attempted to evade police when they approached the car.
Garrett claims she was driving.
The affidavit alleges Lightsey was driving and after the officers approached the vehicle, he got into the backseat and Garrett went to the driver’s seat.
An officer used a flashlight to shatter the driver’s window and eventually, Officer Dillon Cornn removed Garrett from the car, accusing her of not complying with orders, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, which was written by Officer Cornn, Garrett was handcuffed after a “brief struggle.”
Garrett told the media she was shoved against both their car and the cruiser and then kicked to the ground by Officer Cornn.
“I’m already handcuffed so what was the purpose of all that? Then he got down on one knee and punched me in the eye here, which is never going away. I had two black eyes,” said Garrett.
Lakeland Police officials are rejecting the allegations.
“Based on evidence gathered, the defendant’s fabricated claims are an attempt to use media attention to avoid responsibility for their actions,” wrote a department spokesperson in a statement.