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CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Elderly woman shoved, seriously injured by deputy outside Sacramento jail files civil rights lawsuit
SACRAMENTO -- A 71-year-old woman who was seriously injured after being shoved to the ground by a Sacramento sheriff's deputy has filed a civil lawsuit against the department, Sacramento County and multiple deputies involved. The incident was captured on body-worn video and jail surveillance camera footage in October 2024, when now-former deputy Matthew Gurich forced the woman through the front doors of the main jail in downtown Sacramento. The woman is seen making a hard fall onto the sidewalk and can be heard on video crying out in pain as multiple officers walk back inside the jail building. Gurich was fired from the department in March of this year after being placed on administrative leave. He was subsequently charged by the Sacramento County District Attorney's office with one felony count of unlawful assault by a public officer. "Well, it was hard to see how long she was left out there," said George Siamoutas, of the video. The woman's sons, George and John Siamoutas, spoke to CBS13 on her behalf Friday night. She was eventually taken to the hospital with a broken femur. "She's a 71-year-old woman, non-threatening really, and to be handled like that, I think some education is needed," said George. "They are the first responders but they have to realize, OK wait, this is a call for a doctor," added John. The lawsuit alleges the elderly woman, who suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was in an active mental health episode at a Starbucks where she became disoriented, thinking she was shopping in a grocery store. The lawsuit claims the employees did not want her to be arrested, but called police, hoping for help and resources to be offered. The woman was arrested, taken to the Sacramento County jail and forcefully pushed out the front door upon her release. She spent several months in the hospital recovering after the incident, according to family. The lawsuit alleges the incident violated her civil and constitutional rights, leaving her with lifelong impacts. John says his mother also never got to say goodbye to her husband, her main caretaker, who died while she was hospitalized. "She wasn't able to go visit him during his last days because she got taken away, injured and into a hospital. She couldn't be by his side for his last days," said John. The family wants accountability, awareness and more mental health training across the entire sheriff's department. "Training for mental health situations, number one. Maybe you can prevent something like this happening in the future," said George. On Monday, June 2, the family and jail reform leaders in the community are gathering for a press conference near the main jail downtown to call attention to the lawsuit and what they want to see changed. CBS13 reached out to the Sacramento Sheriff's Office for a response to this story, a spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
SCSO deputy terminated after pushing woman out of main jail in Sacramento
( — A Sacramento County Sheriff Deputy has been terminated as of March 14 after being placed on administrative leave for shoving a woman out of the Sacramento County Main Jail, said the SCSO. The incident happened last October. Video from surveillance and body cameras showed a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy shoving a woman out of the Main Jail, causing her to fall to the ground. FOX40 sat down exclusively with the woman's son, John Siamoutas, earlier this month. He said that he flew down from Canada to Sacramento to take care of his 71-year-old mother during her recovery. Siamoutas said his mother suffered a broken femur at the hip socket, an injury that required surgery. 'They decided to throw her out physically airborne and led to her broken hip. Now she's still walking with a walker,' said Siamoutas. 'She loves gardening. Now it's time to plant the flowers. She can't bend down. She can't do what she used to do anymore.' After the incident, Siamoutas has been in search of answers. He said he asked law enforcement for body camera footage, but he never received it. 'Angry and sad, obviously. You know, a little hopeless, because I'm far from home and doing my best to make everything right and make sure my mom is taken care of in the long term,' said Siamoutas. 'I don't know how I'm going to do it at this point, but I'll figure it out.' Siamoutas said that he does not know the exact details on why his mother was arrested and taken to the main jail, but said that over the past few years, she had been dealing with mental health issues. He said, 'She was free to go. They didn't have to do a thing, just let her go.' For now, he is focused on seeking justice for his mother. 'We don't see this on the news, thankfully, every day. Hopefully, everyone learns from this that something went wrong,' said Siamoutas. In an email statement to FOX40, the attorney representing John Siamoutas and his mother said: 'We are preparing a civil rights complaint to file in federal court, but that complaint will include not only federal claims of excessive force in violation of the 4th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but also assault and battery, which are claims under state law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
