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'It's Just So Traumatic:' Family Sues Chicago, CPD Over Violent Brickyard Assault Leaving A Woman Blind In One Eye

CHICAGO (CBS) --  A woman who was arrested after a violent melee with Chicago Police last spring is now suing the city.

The incident, caught on camera, happened at the Brickyard Mall last May during civil unrest. Officers suspected the people in a car of looting. Her lawyer told CBS 2's Steven Graves the new lawsuit is about accountability.

At the time, the family was out to shop for a birthday party. They were later caught up in a fight with Chicago police, and are now taking a on a new fight of their own.

"It's just so traumatic. And it just brings back a lot of bad vibes," said Tnika Tate.

On May 31 at Brickyard Mall, officers mistook the group for looters. Months later, the scene was still vivid in their heads.

"We're waking up now still with nightmares," Tate said.

The family now filing a federal lawsuit. They are suing the city of Chicago and the officers they said unlawfully spurred the "vicious attack."

Mia Wright is now blind in one eye. She wasn't talking, claiming to have lost her voice. An officer pinned her the to ground with with his knee. Police arrested Wright, but prosecutors dropped the charge.

"We're alleging conspiracy violations," said attorney Nenye Uche. "Other police officers stood by to watch. We're alleging civil rights failure to intervene police officers that did not intervene."

The suit also claims this was just a snapshot of the climate during widespread George Floyd demonstrations. It says that police brutality by CPD as a whole was a problem. At one point, CBS 2 reported on more than 250 complaints made against the department.

CBS 2 knows two officers involved were stripped of their powers, pending an investigation by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability (COPA) that is still ongoing.

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