Teen,18, Sues NYPD For $2 Million Over ‘Mistreatment’ During Underage Drinking Bust

Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart was 17-years-old when police were called to a party over noise complaints. Police found a group of underage teens consuming alcohol and began asking for IDs. However, Bonjean-Alpart followed the police around the party telling guests that they did not have to show their IDs. Police then went through Winnifred’s purse and found empty liquor bottles and a fake ID. The teen was arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of alcohol by a minor, and a forged instrument count for the fake identification. However, she says she was “mistreated” when police handcuffed her tightly, slammed against a wall, and placed in a holding cell with men.

The New York Post reports that the now-18-year-old Winnifred is suing the NYPD for $2 million for the alleged mistreatment. However, the teen may have a good shot at victory as her mother is a prominent defense attorney who, just last year, was able to win a $500,000 judgment for a Chicago man in prison for murdering seven people in a botched robbery after he was punched in the face by a prison guard. If Winnifred’s mother attorney can win $500,000 for a convicted murderer, we can expect that she will be able to get a promising judgment for her young daughter.

According to the police report, officers were called to a home after noise complaints were received. Upon entering the home, they found underage teens consuming alcohol. They went around the party asking for IDs from those drinking, but Winnifred followed them telling individuals not to provide their IDs. Eventually, police found the teen’s purse and discovered a fake ID and two empty liquor bottles. The teen told officers that the fake ID was no big deal and that everybody has one.

“Yeah, I know it’s fake. Everyone has one. So what?”

The teen was then arrested and placed in handcuffs before being taken to the police station. However, the teen says she was mistreated in police custody as she was handcuffed too tightly and slammed against a wall. She also says that she was placed in a holding cell with men.

Now Bonjean-Alpart wants payments for her “emotional and physical injuries.” Winnifred is used to a certain way of living as she attends the exclusive $38,000-a-year Packer Collegiate school and is an aspiring actress, so the “mistreatment” was especially damaging to her emotional state. The young teen has already starred in a film that featured a former adult film star, Nikita Cash. The film Sexy Baby premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. She also was featured in the 2013 Fringe Festival entry Slut, and produced a production of The Vagina Monologues for her senior thesis.

Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart’s defense attorney mother says that the police had “no probable cause” to search her daughter and that the “physical and emotional injuries” are enough to warrant the $2 million payout.

What do you think of the lawsuit?

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