Lawsuit Demands Justice for 17-Year-Old Erin Cowser Who Was Body-Slammed and Lied About by San Bernardino Police Officer

The body-slamming of 17-year-old Erin Cowser by a San Bernardino police officer outside a Food 4 Less store in May 2025 stands as a deeply troubling example of police misconduct that demands accountability. Civil rights attorney Toni J. Jaramilla has filed a lawsuit on Cowser's behalf, and the evidence laid out paints a picture of unjustified violence against a vulnerable teenager who had done nothing to warrant such brutal treatment.

According to the lawsuit, Cowser had simply walked out of the store after being bullied by other teens. Bodycam footage shows the officer arriving on scene, grabbing her from behind by her backpack, and yanking her away before slamming her face-first into the concrete. The girl was petite, unarmed, and had her hands behind her back. There was no reasonable justification for this level of force. As her attorney rightly put it, "A police officer took a petite, unarmed teenage girl, with her hands behind her back, and hip-tossed her like a rag doll, face-first onto the concrete."

The consequences for Cowser were devastating. She was knocked unconscious and sustained a traumatic brain injury with memory loss, a deep facial laceration requiring stitches and permanent scarring, plus wrist and back injuries. No child should suffer such harm at the hands of those sworn to protect them.

Even more disturbing is what allegedly followed. The officer reportedly lied about how Cowser was injured, blaming other juveniles. Cowser herself recalled the moment she woke in the patrol car: "I asked him, 'What happened to me? What did you do to me?' And he was like, 'You fell.' And I went black again. And I remember waking up in the hospital." A child should never have to ask an officer why she is covered in her own blood, only to be deceived.

Jaramilla captured the heart of the matter: "This was not a mistake -- it was violence, followed by dishonesty." Even after the officer admitted lying, the department reportedly never corrected the public record. Cowser deserves justice, and the department must be held accountable.

Link: AB7