Caught on video: Woman’s face shatters as she’s shoved into jail cell

A Skokie, Ill., police officer is facing abuse charges and up to five years in prison for allegedly shoving a woman so hard that she flew across a jail cell and slammed into a bench, shattering the bones in her face.

It was an incident caught on video, above. But, if you decide to watch that video, note that the images can be disturbing.

The video appears to show veteran Officer Michael Hart pushing Cassandra Feuerstein into the cell and captures the moment when she cracks her face across a bench at the back of the holding area. Her eye socket was shattered, her cheek was sliced open, and her teeth were loosened, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Feuerstein’s attorney told the newspaper that she needed reconstructive surgery, and now has a titanium plate in her cheek. She still suffers from vision problems and numbness in her face, the attorney said.

The alleged incident took place on March 10, after Feuerstein was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Once in custody, she allegedly refused to comply with Hart’s commands, and put both hands on either side of the cell door “to prevent Hart from placing her into the cell” -- behavior that Hart’s attorney called “combative, unruly and disrespectful.”

That attorney, Jed Stone, told the media of Hart: “He’s a good cop,” and noted that he has served the force for nearly 20 years with “an unblemished record.”

The incident is coming to light now because Hart faces aggravated battery and official misconduct charges, charges that came after Feuerstein’s attorney, Torri Hamilton, filed a federal lawsuit this month alleging police brutality, the newspaper reported.

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