Editor’s note: The story has been updated with a brief comment from Millville’s chief of police.

Joseph Dixon, the Millville cop who has used more force than any other New Jersey officer, was sued Wednesday by a woman he arrested last year after he allegedly used excessive force.

The 12-count federal civil rights lawsuit alleged that Dixon, 28, used force that was “far out of proportion” when he arrested Audra Capps in February of 2018. It also accused the city and the police chief of negligence in overseeing Dixon.

The encounter was captured by a dashboard camera. In the video, Dixon slams Capps into the asphalt when she begins to pull away from him.

The suit did not dispute the arrest itself -- Capps later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and resisting arrest after she was pulled over while driving home. But the lawsuit argued that “Dixon’s whirling headlock takedown maneuver ... could have broken her neck.”

A second officer on the scene, Bryan Orndof, was also accused of excessive force, and the suit alleged that the two were “deliberately indifferent” to Capps’ request to go to a hospital.

Although the use-of-force report that Dixon filed on the incident did not note any injuries, medical documents reviewed by NJ Advance Media confirmed that Capps did have several broken ribs after Dixon restrained her. The lawsuit said that Capps has undergone two surgeries to try and repair the damage, and is still undergoing treatment.

Police Chief Jody Farabella said they were taking the allegations “very seriously” and that Dixon’s entire record was being investigated.

Michael Santiago, who is both Millville’s mayor and the director of public works, directed requests for comment to Director of Public Safety Joseph Pepitone.

Pepitone did not immediately respond to an interview request, nor did Dixon.

Capps and her attorney, Louis Shapiro, declined comment.

The civil suit said that Capps has both lost wages and racked up medical bills over the past year.

The suit also cited The Force Report, the most comprehensive statewide database of police force in the U.S. and the result of a 16-month-long investigation by NJ Advance Media. That reporting found that during his first several years, Dixon reported using his hands and fists, pepper spray and other types of force at more than 18 times the state average, far more than any other officer in the state.

He also reported more injured subjects than all but one other cop.

Farabella, the police chief, has previously defended Dixon as a “fine officer" working in high-crime areas. Millville has one of the highest violent crime rates in the state, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Dixon is also under investigation by the county prosecutor’s office, stemming from a fatal shooting that happened just over a year ago. All police shootings are investigated, and Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said April 18 that the review is still pending.

The full lawsuit can be reviewed online here:

Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.