A wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the City of Greenwood and two of its police officers alleges that Tracy Denise Brooks begged not to be left outside on a freezing February night before she was struck and killed by a car roughly 90 minutes later. The complaint says officers dropped Brooks off at a dark, closed gas station near Five Points instead of taking her home, to a hospital or into custody, despite knowing she was intoxicated, injured and dependent on a walker.
Lawsuit Details Night That Began At A Main Street Restaurant
The complaint was filed Oct. 22 by Bracy Brooks, as personal representative of Tracy Denise Brooks's estate, against the City of Greenwood and officers Anna Ballenger and Austin Teasley, according to FOX Carolina News. The case traces back to late Feb. 22 or early Feb. 23, 2025, when officers were called to T.W. Boons restaurant on Main Street after employees grew concerned about Brooks's condition and behavior. At that point, the lawsuit says, Brooks was hurt, mobility-impaired, dependent on a walker, wearing a medical boot, intoxicated, without transportation and unable to ensure her own safety.
Rather than taking her home, to a hospital, to a responsible family member or into detention, the suit alleges officers decided to drive her to the Five Points area, where she said a brother lived. The complaint says officers made no effort to confirm an address or confirm that anyone would actually be there to receive her.
Dropped At A Closed Station In 28-Degree Cold
Between midnight and 1 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2025, the lawsuit alleges, Ballenger drove Brooks to a gas station at or near Five Points, just outside Greenwood's city limits, and the complaint describes the station as dark, closed, unattended and without shelter, a telephone or anyone to help, with the temperature hovering around 28 degrees. Ballenger then called Teasley to the scene, per the same account. Brooks allegedly pleaded with the officers, telling them, “Don't put me out here. I don't want to get out here. Take me to jail. It's cold,” and asking to be taken to jail or a hospital instead.
The complaint alleges that after briefly trying to coax Brooks out of the patrol car, both officers turned off their body cameras. When the cameras were turned back on, the suit says, Brooks was no longer in the vehicle. The lawsuit describes the officers as having left her alone at night in freezing temperatures without shelter, transportation or help, calling her resulting situation a “materially worse and more dangerous position” than where they had originally found her.
Struck While Walking With Her Walker
About 90 minutes after she was left at the station, at approximately 1:56 a.m., Brooks was walking with her walker on Siloam Church Road near McKellar Drive when she was struck from behind by a northbound sedan, the lawsuit alleges. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:05 a.m. from blunt force trauma, per the complaint, and her walker was later found in a ditch. The driver, Bobby Alfred Lyles, was charged with driving under the influence and driving under suspension.
A coroner's identification cited by the Index-Journal lists Brooks as 56 years old, and FOX Carolina also identifies her as 56.
Lawsuit Alleges Chief Rejected Termination, Blocked Footage
Beyond the night itself, the lawsuit alleges that Greenwood's police chief dismissed the incident as “two separate incidents,” rejected a recommendation to terminate both officers and declined to pursue a criminal investigation. The complaint also alleges the Greenwood Police Department refused to provide body camera footage to Brooks's family and denied a highway patrol request for the footage. South Carolina law generally exempts body-worn camera recordings from mandatory disclosure, with the state's Freedom of Information Act statute specifying that such data is not a public record subject to release, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
The lawsuit brings wrongful-death and survival claims under state law along with federal civil-rights violations, and it seeks actual and punitive damages, attorney's fees and a jury trial. FOX Carolina reported it reached out to the City of Greenwood and the Greenwood Police Department for comment on the allegations.
