Myrtle Beach police threw pregnant woman to ground during raid, caused miscarriage: suit
A pregnant woman was “violently” thrown to the ground during a Myrtle Beach police raid and then had a miscarriage while in jail, a lawsuit alleges.
The incident happened on Nov. 15, 2018, as Rashonda Deanna Frederick was vacationing in Myrtle Beach from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was staying at the Aqua Beach Inn on Withers Drive, according to the lawsuit.
Frederick was asleep when Myrtle Beach police officers woke her and demanded that she open the door, the suit states. The officers were investigating an armed robbery.
When she did, officers “violently” threw her to the floor, the filing claims.
Frederick never made a threatening gesture toward the police and did not pose a threat, the suit states. The filing adds that Frederick was thrown to the ground for no lawful or justifiable reason and it was excessive force.
The suit names the City of Myrtle Beach, the state and unnamed police officers as defendants. It also lists Christian Cole as a plaintiff, but does not detail the relationship between Frederick and Cole.
Frederick was taken to jail — the filing doesn’t specify if it was Myrtle Beach Jail or J. Reuben Long Detention Center — where she told officers that she was pregnant.
“The defendant City failed to provide adequate care, if any, for Plaintiff Frederick while in their custody and control,” the suit states.
As a result of the incident, Frederick had a miscarriage and the baby died, the suit states.
The filing claims the city was negligent in several ways, such as it failed to train, supervise or discipline officers involved in the wrongful act or an attempt to cover it up. The city also did not use a policy detailing the proper use of excessive force and teach officers how to deal with pregnant citizens.
Frederick is asking for an unspecified amount of money in the filing.
Myrtle Beach Spokesman Mark Kruea said he was not aware of the lawsuit, but the city does not typically comment on ongoing litigation.
Frederick’s charges from that night, including kidnapping and armed robbery, are pending in Horry County court. There have been no filings in the case since January.
According to the arrest report, two suspects robbed the Smoke Life Smoke and Vape shop on South Kings Highway.
Kevon Demarcus Dunlop and Gabriel Jamirh Bracey were each charged with three counts of kidnapping and three counts of armed robbery. Bracey also faces a charge of being a person prohibited from possessing a firearm.
On Nov. 15, 2018, Bracey and Dunlop entered the Smoke Life Smoke and Vape Shop, 601 S. Kings Hwy. Bracey had a long gun and pointed it at three victims, according to the report. He demanded money from the cash register and for the victims to empty their pockets, police said.
Dunlop slid a backpack toward the victims and two of the three emptied their pockets, according to the report.
The suspects picked up the backpack and fled the scene in a blue Ford sedan, and an unidentified third man drove the car, according to police.
Some of the victims followed the suspects’ vehicle, which was tracked to the Aqua Beach Inn. Three people were arrested in connection to the armed robbery.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 9:44 AM.
