Baltimore Expected To Pay $60K Settlement To Woman

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The city's spending board agrees to settle another lawsuit involving city police officers. This time, from a woman who says she was assaulted by police while recording an arrest.

Gigi Barnett has more.

It's cell phone video that just cost Baltimore City $60,000.

Kianga Mwamba shot it back in March 2014—the morning she spotted city cops arresting a man and decided to press record on her phone.

That's when officers confronted her.

Seconds later, she says officers approached her car and the situation turned violent. Officers allegedly pulled her out of her car, slammed her to the ground and tased her.

"I couldn't believe he was talking to me that way," said Mwamba.

Now Baltimore is paying up for the incident. The city's spending board approved a settlement with Mwanga. Her original lawsuit -- $2 million.

"It was a classic case deserving of a settlement," said George Nilson, Baltimore City solicitor.

The city would prefer not to go to court—not now. Plus, city leaders say there are just too many uncertainties in the Mwanga incident.

"This is a case where the facts were subject to multiple interpretations. When you go before a Baltimore City jury, you roll the dice and you take a chance on which one is going to prevail," said Nilson.

Since 2011, the city has settled nearly $6 million in payouts because of undue force by officers. This latest agreement adds to that tally.