VIDEO: Lawsuit filed against Seattle Police officers who broke into wrong apartment in 2020
SEATTLE - A lawsuit has been filed against Seattle Police, stemming from a 2020 incident where five officers were accused of breaking into an apartment and seizing a woman who lived there—except they had the wrong address.
Elisabeth Rehn alleged that on Nov. 22, 2020, five police officers broke down her door, drew their guns on her and searched her unit, located at the Centerview Apartments in Belltown.
As it turned out, the officers were responding to domestic violence call and had gone to the wrong apartment in the wrong building.
FOX 13 News obtained body camera video of the incident, which shows the officers converge on the apartment, kick the door in and aim their guns at Rehn. Rehn is seen panicking and asking what is happening. The officers ask if there is anyone else in the apartment, and Rehn says she lives alone.
The rest of the video captures officers trying to talk Rehn down in the hallway, who is visibly traumatized by the break-in.
"This is the wrong address," an officer is heard saying.
"The wrong f--king address, are you f--king kidding me? Oh my god. Oh my god." Rehn is heard crying.
The body camera video obtained by FOX 13 News additionally shows the perspective of other officers, including one who was at the correct location. That officer can be heard remarking that his colleagues should have arrived by now.
RELATED: Interviews released of police union leaders laughing about student killed by speeding cruiser
Rehn claims in her suit that she had just disrobed to take a bath when officers burst in, and she scrambled to cover herself with a large coat as they shouted orders and pointed guns at her.
The lawsuit is filed against officers Riley Caulfield, Younghun Kim, Seth Wagner, John Duus and Jason Drummond. According to court records, even when they learned they had the wrong address, they continued to search her apartment while Rehn was there.
RELATED: Mom says Seattle woman killed in bus crash was competitive ice skater, loving daughter
The lawsuit further alleges that the officers had no warrant and no reasonable basis for breaking into Rehn's apartment.
Rehn is seeking damages for unconstitutional search of her home, unconstitutional seizure and negligence.