Parents Partially Blame School Parking For Mother's Arrest

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A mother handcuffed outside of her daughter's elementary school has filed a complaint against the arresting officer, accusing him of crossing the line when he yanked her from her car.

"What happened that day was unnecessary. Unnecessary force, unnecessary violence," said Rita Guzman.

On Wednesday, Guzman parked in a no parking/no waiting area at Whigham Elementary during dismissal to pick up her daughter who is in first grade. Guzman said there was no place to park and there were other cars in the same area.

According to her arrest report when a Miami-Dade police officer asked her to move she replied, "Why are you being so nasty?"

"I did not have any intention not to move I only wanted to know where to move," said Guzman.

When asked for her driver's license several times, Guzman reportedly refused to hand it over. The officer then physically removed her from her car and handcuffed her.

"I was just screaming, 'Help me, help me, my daughter,' I was worried about who was going to pick up my daughter," said Guzman. "Spending the night in jail over picking up your kids from school is unimaginable."

Guzman said she was physically assaulted and humiliated, adding the officer bruised her arms and sprained both her wrists.

"This officer told her he was going to Taser her if she didn't exit the vehicle," said Guzman's attorney Lonnie Richardson. "When she asked 'why' that's when he reached in unbuckled her seat belt and drug her out, honestly, like she was a dog."

Amanda Tarrant said she watched as Guzman was pulled from the car and couldn't believe what was happening.

"I was crying because I could not imagine her daughter. I kept saying, 'Where is your daughter? Hide her so she would not see it,'" said Tarrant .

Parents who drop off or pick up their kids from the school say parking is a major problem and they are aware of the no stopping and standing signs – as well as the seemingly continuous citations which are given on a daily basis to those parking where they should not.

They say this situation could have been handled better by both sides.

"He could've told her to get out of the car or simply give her a ticket and leave," said Tarrant.

"I understand that parking can get a little crazy, but it would have been simple if she would've moved instead of fighting him and making a big deal about it," said Alissa Cordero.

Guzman and her attorney said they want the officer fired from the force.

"This is injustice and it's going to continue happening unless someone puts a stop to it," said Guzman. "I just want to feel safe in my own community."

The Miami-Dade Police Department has not released the name of the officer but say they are aware of the incident and internal affairs is investigating.