St. Louis woman filed lawsuit against SLMPD, others after she says she was ‘thrown on the floor’ and ‘taken on a rough ride’

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A St. Louis woman filed a lawsuit this week accusing St. Louis Police, an officer working for another municipality and Walgreens of negligence and excessive force.

She claims an incident over two years ago left her emotionally and physically damaged.

Del-Rio Swink fought through cancer, but due to her chemotherapy, she suffers from osteoarthritis and peripheral neuropathy, which damages the nervous system.

She said she was improving in 2022 when a series of encounters with police set her back physically and emotionally.

“Thrown on the floor of Walgreens to now being taken on a rough ride,” said Swink.

Del-Rio Swink sums up her experience on a November 2022 day, that started when she was picking up a prescription at this Walgreens on Lindell Boulevard, in the Central West End. Swink said while waiting for her prescription, she asked a pharmacy employee to stop eating sunflower seeds.

“She goes ‘what’s it to you’? She goes on insulting me, telling me that her bosses know what she does, if I have so much to say we can take it outside,” said Swink.

Swink says a pharmacist intervened, apologized, and began filling her prescription.

“Within seconds, the clerk picked up the phone and called security,” said Swink.

Swink started recording a Facebook Live video, where you can see an off-duty Berkeley officer working secondary trying to kick her out. Eventually, she went to the ground.

“My hip hit that floor, my bone hit that floor,” said Swink.

The video ends as she was handcuffed. Swink tells First Alert 4, she requested medical attention, as St. Louis police officers arrived. They put her in a police van.

“As we were walking out, it hurt me a little bit, trying to walk out, ‘what’s wrong with you,’ they’re just constantly belittling me and talking to me in any kind of way,” said Swink.

Swink said she was told she was going to jail. Later, she was told she was going home.

“I said take me home? After all of this? I could have just driven my car, I didn’t have to go through all of this and he said ‘we’re towing your car,” said Swink.

Then the drive started.

“From the way he drove, he was mad,” said Swink.

Swink says a hard left turn made her fall out of the seat.

“Hit my thigh and my head and I’m screaming in the back of the paddy wagon telling him, ‘I fell, I fell,’ he heard me,” said Swink.

She tells First Alert 4 police gave her a citation and dropped her off at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. When she showed up for court, there were no charges.

This week, Swink filed a lawsuit with ArchCity Defenders as her representation. She’s suing the city of St. Louis, three SLMPD officers, Walgreens, and the off-duty officer working secondary. At the time, he worked for Berkeley police.

“What does justice look like to me? Their jobs,” said Swink.

Swink tells me what she experienced has led to more doctors appointments, hurt relationships with her family and turned what used to be a social butterfly into a homebody.

“It’s caused issues everywhere in my life,” said Swink.

First Alert 4 reached out to all the parties involved. Walgreens denies liability. The city of St. Louis and their police department declined to comment.

We learned two of three city police officers involved are still working for the department.