Chilling photos show the moment a grinning California police officer knelt over an elderly mother as she lay passed out on the road before she was taken to hospital where she eventually died.
Nyota Koya, 66, was stranded in the parking lot of the Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento on November 17, 2024, when she was approached by police officer Matthew Sterling who was responding to a trespassing report.
Sterling offered to take her to a shelter and have her car towed, the Sacramento Bee reported. Another officer was with Sterling but reportedly left the scene for a period of time.
Over two hours later, Koya was still in the parking lot. Sterling then pulled her from the car, bodycam footage showed.
'Can we hurry up?' he can be heard asking her.
'I’m 66, baby. I’ve got to get this together. I can’t even hardly put on my shoes,' she responded, according to the lawsuit.
'My ankles are swollen. My car ain’t working. My phone ain’t working. And you’re sitting up there, talking mess to me, and knocking on the side of the [car]. No, you know what? It’s not alright. It’s jacked.'
Sterling replied: 'So, if you would like to go to jail, stay in your car for five more minutes and we’ll be going to jail. So, at 12:27, we’ll be going to jail.'
Chilling photos show the moment a grinning California police officer knelt over an elderly mother as she lay passed out on the road
Footage shows Sterling pushing Koya face down into the road with his knee on her back before he handcuffed her
Koya was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center where she died a week later
'This is bulls**t,' Koya exclaimed. 'This right here is straight bulls**t, and I'm sick of it. I've been through this s**t so god damn long, I'm tired of it.'
After the pair continued to exchange words, Koya then shut her car door before Sterling opened it and grabbed her.
'You ain't no police! You b**ch a** motherf***er! Hell no!' she screamed as he pulled her out of the car and onto the concrete. 'Let me f**king go! Let me go!'
Footage shows Sterling pushing Koya face down into the road with his knee on her back before he handcuffed her.
Moments later, she was moved to the cop car, where she would lose consciousness.
The second officer then returned to the scene.
Paramedics later arrived and found she did not have a pulse. Koya was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center where she died a week later.
Also included in the lawsuit are two screenshots from bodycam footage that show Sterling with a wide smile as he knelt over Koya.
Her daughter Nathifa Wright has filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Police Department, Sterling and police chief Katherine Lester
Nathifa said her mother was 'her world' after her death
Her daughter Nathifa Wright has filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Police Department, Sterling and police chief Katherine Lester.
The lawsuit seeks damages for 17 claims, including excessive force and wrongful death.
A medical examiner ruled Koya's death to be from complications of pulmonary thromboembolism, a blood clot that had traveled from her leg to her heart. It was ruled a natural death.
The day after Koya was taken to the hospital, her daughter, Nathifa was informed that her mother had a 0.001 percent chance of surviving, Wright told The Sacramento Bee.
'She was my world,' she said.
Sterling still works for the Sacramento Police Department.
The Daily Mail has reached out to legal counsels of Koya's estate, the police department, the City of Sacramento, and Sterling for comment.
