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Posted by: kwflatbed



ATLANTA -- A woman who says she was slammed to the ground and arrested by a police officer at Atlanta's airport has been paid $350,000 to settle a lawsuit.



The settlement with Stockbridge resident Diana Dietrich-Barnes had been secret. But insurance carrier AIG Aviation gave the city permission Tuesday to release it, said Jerry DeLoach of Atlanta's law department.



Dietrich-Barnes' attorney, Harlan Miller, said Dietrich-Barnes was satisfied with the settlement and ready to move on.



"She is still trying to get over it," Miller said.



News of the settlement comes just a few days after Atlanta's civil service board ruled there was not enough evidence to fire Officer Terrance Alexander for his treatment of Dietrich-Barnes. The city is appealing that decision, so Alexander has not been reinstated with the Atlanta Police Department, DeLoach said.



A video camera captured the Nov. 2, 2004 incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the footage was broadcast around the nation.



Dietrich-Barnes had circled the airport several times looking for her 78-year-old mother, who was arriving from Houston, when she stopped her vehicle at the curb to check her itinerary. Alexander told her to move and the outside mirror of her vehicle bumped him when she started to back up, she said.



That is when Alexander pulled her from her car, threw her to the pavement and handcuffed her.



Alexander claimed Dietrich-Barnes had hurt him by slamming her car door into him. But the officer's supervisors dropped charges against the woman after reviewing the video.



The Atlanta Police Department later fired Alexander after an internal investigation found he used unnecessary force.



Since the incident, officers at the airport have undergone training to help avoid potentially volatile encounters with travelers rushing to and from the airport.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Posted by: JoninNH

Reinstate the man.

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Posted by: K9Vinny

I remember seeing the video some time ago on the news. It looked pretty bad.

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Posted by: dcs2244

How about "park the car and go looking for Mommy on foot"...she's 78, how far could she get? This is just pure laziness, ignorance or stupidity on the part of the lemming.

Do as you are told, or go to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $350,000.

B*tch.

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Posted by: Ron816

It seems tha more and more officers are using excessive force, this isn't necessary.

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Posted by: JoninNH

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron816 It seems tha more and more officers are using excessive force, this isn't necessary.

Who the hell are you? Were you there? What makes you so sure it's excessive force, besides because you read it in the paper or online?

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