Woman accusing Federal Way officers of police brutality reportedly suffers from PTSD
Jun 5, 2013, 1:55 PM | Updated: 4:30 pm
A 36-year-old woman facing a potential felony charge of assaulting an officer has been dealing with mental illness and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to her sister.
Megan Graham, 36, was arrested in Federal Way on May 27 after a confrontation with police in the parking lot of an apartment complex. She’s indicated she believed the officer followed her into the complex because he saw her talking on her cell phone while driving.
Graham tells the Federal Way Mirror that during the altercation, in which she called 911 and said she intended to citizen’s arrest her arresting officer, she was threatened with a Taser, wrestled to the ground, and punched in the face three times. Graham is accusing the officers of police brutality.
Graham’s twin sister, Chantel Wilson, tells KIRO Radio’s Luke Burbank Show that her sister likely could have handled the situation better, but it sounds like things got completely out of control.
“When I’m reading these stories and I’m hearing what she said, and what the witnesses are saying, that’s why I’m not understanding how this got so out of control so quickly.”
Wilson does say her sister suffers from conditions that might have contributed to the escalation, including a history with depression and PTSD.
“She had a series of events that put her into a pretty severe depression to where she was committed for suicide attempts […] She’s been on medication that’s really helped her, and going to counseling, but she’s got some severe PTSD and as well as it really has triggered some almost like bi-polar, borderline personality disorders.”
But Wilson says her sister says she did not threaten the officer, and Wilson doesn’t think the felony assault charge is justified.
“I don’t think it was an assault on an officer. I really think it got out of hand,” says Wilson. “She’s guilty of talking on her cell phone while driving, talking back to an officer, but not assaulting an officer.”
Most of all, Wilson wants to learn what really happened and has contacted the Federal Way Police Department to gain access to all the reports filed by arresting officers.
“I want the evidence. I want to see the video. I want to hear the transcripts, the 911 tape. I want to hear everyone’s side of the story.”
