Federal lawsuit: Woman lost baby after IMPD beating

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A complaint has been filed in federal court claiming an IMPD officer beat a pregnant woman so severely she had a miscarriage.

LaDonna Dixon says in the complaint that she was assisting a friend who had suffered a seizure and collapsed on the front lawn of her home.

• Read the entire complaint

As she was getting her friend's medicine, the complaint says IMPD officer Scott Childers arrived.

Dixon asked Childers to give her friend the medicine, but he refused.

Childers told Dixon to go inside her house but when she did, he roughly grabbed her by her arm.

Dixon told the officer to be careful because she is pregnant. That's when she says Childers sprayed her and kicked and beat her until she blacked out.

Dixon was booked into the Marion County Adult Processing Center and that's where she lost her baby.

24-Hour News 8 has a crew talking with Dixon's attorney and we hope to have more information on this breaking story at six o’clock.

This comes just weeks after an IMPD officer was fired and another disciplined for severely beating a teenage boy.

IMPD Chief Paul Ciesielski released a statement Wednesday evening announcing that the department would investigate the allegations.

"After claims of alleged police brutality being brought to my attention today, I have begun a review process of the arrest of Ms. Ladonna Dixon on June 21, 2009 at 6132 Nelson Place. We have decided to voluntarily review this arrest and will release more information once this review is completed," the IMPD statement read.