Atlanta

Attorney says women's arrest after encounter with police at Houston's was unjustified

ATLANTA — The attorney for one of three women involved in a confrontation with an off-duty police officer at a popular Buckhead restaurant gave Channel 2 Action News even more video that he says shows his client was assaulted.

Attorney Gerald Griggs is representing Brittany Lucio. She was one of three women shown in a video that went viral after a security officer allegedly held one of them down outside of Houston’s on Peachtree Road on May 13.

Grigg said his client was that woman.

Mugshots of women arrested after an incident at Houston's restaurant 

“She had a black eye, she had bruises on her arm legs and of course she is emotionally shaken,” Griggs said. “We think, ultimately, the actions of the police officer were uncalled for and unjustified.”

Griggs gave the full version of the video to Channel 2's Lauren Pozen on Friday night.

Police said the incident started because Lucio and her two friends refused to leave the women’s bathroom after the restaurant closed, despite being asked multiple times, first by management, then by the security officer.

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When the security officer first approached the women, police said they laughed and looked at their phones.

At the third request, police said the officer grabbed Lucio’s wrist and said let go. The officer then said she kept resisting and punched him in the mouth.

Griggs said there’s “factual discrepancies” in the police report.

“For one, he misspelled my client’s name. For two, there was no need to detain them. They were in the process of leaving the restroom, they were trying to secure a Lyft,” Griggs said.

Houston’s states it closes at 10 p.m. According to the police report, it said the women were in the bathroom for 40 minutes and would not leave. Griggs told Pozen that's not true.

“The kitchen closed, there was still people dining in the restaurant. That is where the discrepancy comes in,” Griggs said.

The women were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Lucio was also charged felony obstruction.

She will go in front of a judge on Tuesday.

One of the other women involved, Asia'h Epperson, sent Channel 2 Action News a statement saying:

"Like I said, the statement that was released was false and exaggerated. It was not after hours. The restaurant was open. It was full of people. We asked if we could use the restroom and we were given permission to do so. We were in the restroom maybe 7-8 minutes. Actually Using the restroom, and On the phone with the Uber driver trying to give directions to where we were! Period. We weren’t doing anything wrong. We were never asked multiple times to leave. That is a lie. We are moving forward very rapidly with this matter things will be handled legally!"

Houston's also released a statement to Channel 2 Action News, saying:

"We are aware of a complaint regarding an incident at our Houston’s Restaurant on Peachtree Road on May 13th and are cooperating with the Atlanta Police Department (APD). The evidence we have seen thus far shows that three women arrived approximately 30 minutes after closing time, they went into the restroom as a group after being told that the restaurant was closed, the three stayed in the restroom for more than 10 minutes, and refused to leave despite repeated requests from several managers to do so. Eventually, an off-duty Atlanta Police Officer again asked the women to leave. An altercation with the APD officer ensued which led to additional APD being summoned."