Shocking surveillance video captures cop brutally beating female shoplifter in front of her one-year-old child

An Iowa mother is being advised by a civil rights organization after surveillance video recently emerged of her being viciously beaten by a police officer, apparently without provocation.



Brandie Redell admits that she was trying to shoplift around $388 of women's clothing from the Von Maur department store in Davenport on February .

Yet when she was caught and questioned by police she says that Officer Scott Crow repeatedly punched her, leaving her hospitalized with an eye swollen shut and vision that is now 70 per cent impaired. Crow remains in his job and Redell is planning legal action.



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Attack: A police officer, named as Scott Crow, lunges at shoplifter Brandie Redell at a Von Maur store in Iowa on February 18

Damage: The punches left Redell needing hospital treatment and she says permanent impairment to her vision

Light fingered: Redell was caught on surveillance video, and admits, shoplifting

The surveillance footage, released by the Better Government Association, shows Crow appear to lunge towards Redell and punch her several times in the head. Another officer holds down the women's legs.

A Von Maur worker runs from the room with Redell's one-year-old child at the start of the attack, which lasted for over a minute.

'I was asking him why was this happening and I was crying. I was screaming, begging for someone to help me,' Redell told WQAD.com .

Officer Crow wrote in his report that Redell bit him, something that the women admits she did, 'to try to get him off of me.'

Video: Claims of police brutality against Iowa shoplifter

Departure: During the attack a store worker leaves with Redell's one-year-old child (top of picture)

Motivation? Redell says the attack started after officers heard the name of her boyfriend James Gibson (right) who has previously worked with police on race sensitivity

But the policeman claims that she wouldn't let his finger go, while he can be seen in the video beating Redell with both hands.

David Bradford, executive director of Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, told the BGA: 'At some point his hand is free [from her mouth] and he continued to pummel her. He went overboard.'

Redell, who has two previous shoplifting convictions, is due in court on August 23.



She says the beating started when she was calling her boyfriend, James Gibson, to come and pick up her 14-month-old daughter.



Gibson is community activist who has previously done race sensitivity training with the police. Redell claims that when the officers heard his name they told her: 'This is going to get ugly, real quick.'

Previous: Redell, who has two earlier shoplifting convictions, is due in court on August 23

Pain: Redell says her vision is still 70 per cent impaired

Redell told CBS that she believes Gibson's race has something to do with the incident.

'I don’t think the police were really thrilled that a white woman was calling a black man for help, especially one that they already weren’t fond of,' she said.

The woman is now working with Chicago civil rights group Living And Driving While Black Foundation. They are planning on a suit against the Davenport Police Department.



Davenport Police Chief Frank Donchez told CBS that internal investigations had not revealed a racial bias in the incident.