SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Yesse Garcia thought she was calling police for help; instead, she was handcuffed.
In May 2020, Garcia was leaving a Scottsdale bar with friends when she found her car with a broken windshield.
Surveillance camera footage showed a person jumping on Garcia's car and smashing the windshield.
The group flagged down nearby officers who were investigating a hit-and-run to help. However, those officers accused Garcia of being involved in the crash, body-worn camera footage showed.
“A guy got hit. Your car is involved," A Scottsdale officer tells Garcia in a body camera recording.
“It didn’t register that they thought I could be a suspect,” Garcia said.
Garcia was arrested on DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, and possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Her clothes were stripped to collect the glass evidence officers claimed was on her clothes.
Scottsdale police admitted last year the arrest was a mistake.
The officers who violated department policies received some degree of discipline or counseling, including one who had a 40-hour suspension and another who received a 20-hour suspension, both unpaid, officials said.
"We made some mistakes plain and simple, and the involved employees have been disciplined for those mistakes," Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther said in a news release.
"We are not infallible and any expectation of such is unrealistic. I remain committed to maintaining a strong culture of accountability, transparency, and professionalism. When employees fall short of those standards, there are consequences."
On Tuesday, the Scottsdale City Council approved a $200,000 payment to settle a wrongful arrest lawsuit.
“She was totally innocent in this case," Garcia's attorney Benjamin Taylor said. "If they had just looked at the video, she would never have been arrested.”
Almost three years after her wrongful arrest, Garcia said she is happy to move on. "It’s kind of a feeling like a big sigh."
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