Mother punched in face while she held her baby sues Los Angeles sheriff’s department

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who was punched in the face by a deputy as she held her baby is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Yeayo Russell says in her federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that deputies used excessive force and wrongfully arrested her during a traffic stop. She is suing the department and the deputies involved in the July 2022 traffic stop in Palmdale. That’s northeast of Los Angeles. The department released body camera video this month. Russell’s attorneys say she was caused distress by spending four days in jail while separated from her infant. She is seeking unspecified damages. The sheriff’s office isn’t immediately commenting.