A federal lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Alameda County sheriff’s deputies of brutally beating an East Bay mother and subsequently denying her urgent medical care after a courthouse scuffle that spilled over into a hospital emergency room. The lawsuit, as first reported by The Mercury News, stems from an August 2022 incident involving Malia Ashad, who claims to have sustained severe head injuries at the hands of four deputies and a sergeant.
Ashad's conflict began at a Hayward courthouse where she was attacked by another woman against whom she had a protection order. The lawsuit alleges that, despite complying immediately with orders to let go of her attacker, Ashad was then "viciously" beaten to unconsciousness by deputies. They purportedly denied her a CT scan recommended by a doctor to check for brain damage, choosing instead to clear her for incarceration. This denial of medical treatment resulted in a claim for damages due to physical and emotional injury. The deputies involved are cited in the lawsuit, according to the account obtained by KRON4 News.
A video, provided by Ashad's attorneys and warning advised for viewers, apparently shows parts of the altercation. However, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office has challenged this narrative, stating, "The released clips are a limited and skewed depiction of the incident and do not represent the totality of what occurred." As per the lawsuit, deputies overrode the hospital doctor's orders for a CT scan, with Sgt. Ruth Jones quoted as saying, "We're not taking her to CT for anything. All I need her is cleared for incarceration. She's going to jail," indicating a possible haste to return Ashad to custody.
The sheriff's office insists that Ashad "received appropriate medical treatment," in a statement made in response to the video. Nevertheless, the lawsuit paints a grimmer picture, alleging that deputies, led by Sgt. Jones, "savagely punched" and "viciously" grabbed Ashad, causing repeated head injuries and unconsciousness in a blatant disregard for her wellbeing. Ashad's attorney, Adante Pointer, criticized the deputies' "arrogance" and accused them of thinking they were "above the law," in comments reported by The Mercury News.
All criminal charges previously held against Ashad were dropped by November 2023, as the court records indicate, adding another layer to the controversy surrounding the deputies' actions. The unfolding lawsuit now seeks to address the physical and emotional toll of an incident that raises serious concerns over the conduct of law enforcement and their fidelity to the laws they are sworn to uphold.
