Woman hogtied by officers gets $250,000

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A pregnant woman hogtied by two California Highway Patrol officers who pulled her over for talking on her cellphone received $250,000 in damages.

The Los Angeles Times reported charges against the 30-year-old woman were dropped after a judge saw a video of the incident that came from a camera in the officers' car.

The video shows a CHP officer pulling Tamara Gaglione over after she appeared to cut off other drivers in August 2011.

Officers Daniel Hernandez and Roberto Martinez told her to throw her keys out of the car and get out of the vehicle, but she stared back and looked confused, the Times reported Thursday.

The officers then drew their guns, one swept away her legs and pushed her face into the road, and the other pinned her to the ground.

The Times said she was then hogtied, handcuffed and put into the car.

Later, Gaglione, who worked as nanny and ran a pet-care business in Los Angeles at the time, sued the CHP and a total of six officers involved in the incident, arguing her civil rights had been violated, the Times reported.

Before the video was submitted as evidence for the case, CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow agreed to settle the suit and the state paid $250,000 to Gaglione in November.