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Brooklyn woman alleges NYPD officer assaulted her during Crown Heights traffic stop

"'Just be quiet.' That's what they told me 'cause I just kept talking. I kept asking why, why are y'all doing this to me?" said Love.

News 12 Staff

Aug 6, 2021, 9:32 PM

Updated 1,232 days ago

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A Brooklyn woman claims she was assaulted and beaten by an NYPD officer days ago during a traffic stop in Crown Heights. 
Maniyja Love, 22, says she’s in pain and bruised after the incident. "I think I got hit so hard that I really don't like, I didn't know that I was bleeding 'til I was handcuffed. I looked down and saw blood everywhere,” said Love. 
Love shared with News 12 pictures that she says were taken after the alleged incident. They appear to show blood smeared on Love’s face. 
Love tells News 12 that last Friday around 11:30 p.m., she was in the car with her friend who was driving her to run errands before they were pulled over by police. 
The alleged traffic stop happened on Eastern Parkway and Rochester Avenue. Love tells News 12 that while the car she and her friend were in was already stopped, she saw police pull up behind them and that’s when she says officers approached her car. 
"They couldn't see because of the tinted windows so when they came to the car door, I opened the door so they could see me. I had my hands up, I still got my feet in the car, and I just noticed out of nowhere they just hit me in my head,” Love tells News 12. 
She says officers never gave her a clear answer on why they were being stopped. 
"'Just be quiet.' That's what they told me 'cause I just kept talking. I kept asking why, why are y'all doing this to me?" said Love. 
Love says her friend was taken to the 71st Precinct and ultimately let go, while she says she was left stranded on Eastern Parkway, scared and bleeding. 
She says she is now searching for justice.
The NYPD says the incident is under internal review.