Sofia Salva, a Sudanese native, was pulled over by officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell who had seen her putting a fake temporary tag on her car’s rear windshield. When asked why she was driving with a fake tag on her car, Salva explained that she was on her way to the hospital.

Over the next 45 minutes, she repeatedly told police that she was pregnant, bleeding, and pleaded for medical attention. Salva was taken to jail and kept overnight on traffic violations and outstanding city warrants. The next say she was released and delivered her child prematurely, who died within minutes. She is now suing the Kansas City Police Department for $25,000 plus punitive damages.

A videotape of the incident shows that after her ninth request to go to the hospital, one of the officers responded by saying, “How is that my problem?” The dialogue throughout the video shows much the same tone. “Do you want to check me?” Salva asks. “I’m bleeding. I have a 3-month baby inside.” Schnell then walked away from the car telling his female partner, “She just gave me a line of excuses. She said she’s bleeding. She said you can check her.”

The officers then make Salva sit on the curb as they went through her car, purse, and groceries. Salva again exclaimed that she was bleeding and needed to go to the hospital. “Well,” Spencer says, “that will be something you can take care of when we get done with you.” After becoming upset, Salva again offered to prove that she was bleeding, only to be told to sit back down by officer Schnell. “If I die here, will you take care of me?” Salva asks. “If I die here?” Schnell then replied, “Fair enough.”

After learning that she had outstanding city warrants and traffic violations, the officers handcuffed Salva. “I’m bleeding. I swear to my God,” said Salva. To which Schnell replied, “I don’t doubt that you’re possibly bleeding, but you got a lot more problems with us.” Kansas City police spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart said an internal investigation is underway, but that he doesn’t know how long it will take. The two officers remain on duty and have declined to comment.

source
streaming video of the incident