An Ohio police officer is being sued after telling a woman who was allegedly raped while drunk that she should have known her limit.
The alleged victim filed suit Monday against Adrienne Brown, the officer who, after scolding the victim, arrested her instead of taking her to the hospital, WLWT reports.
The woman, who has not been named, says she called a cab after a "girls night out" because she had been drinking and did not want to drive. But instead of taking her to the hotel where she was staying, the cab driver took her to an abandoned parking lot in the city's west side, got in the backseat, and choked and raped her. He then left her in the street and fled, the Associated Press reports.
The alleged victim flagged down two passersby, who helped her call 911.
The lawsuit says that after Brown — who has been an officer for 10 years — arrived on the scene, she told the two people who had come to the victim's aid, "You can (expletive) leave!"
Parts of the incident were captured on Brown's police cruiser camera.
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"You listen to me, and you listen good, because this is the last thing I'm going to say to you. You should know your limit," Brown said. "You're an adult. You should know your limit. You should never be in a situation where you don't know your limit because you are drinking too much."
"You have to help me. That man raped me. Someone please help me," the alleged victim cried from the backseat. To this, Brown turned up the police cruiser's radio to tune out the victim.
After failing to receive adequate responses to questions she asked the alleged victim, Brown arrested her for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and for resisting arrest.
"I feel like my whole life has been torn apart from start to finish," the alleged victim later told WLWT, noting that she felt physically ill after watching the tape.
"I was absolutely sick. I am completely outraged at the way this woman treated me," she said.
The alleged victim made it to the hospital eventually, but according to WLWT, "She and police have different versions of how she got there."
Cincinnati police spokeswoman Julie Johnson said Brown's behavior is not indicative of the department.
"This is not how we treat people," Johnson said in a statement. "This is in no way the way that we expect our officers to talk to or communicate or to treat the people who we have a duty to care for."
The department is now investigating the victim's alleged rape, as well as the case against Brown. She has been reassigned until the investigations conclude.
The alleged victim will appear in court on Jan. 31.