Erin Marie Cowser, a Black 17-year-old high school girl from California, was committing no crime when a cop grabbed her from behind and body slammed her to the ground, leaving her with a concussion, traumatic brain injury and several lacerations to her face. San Bernardino police, however, claime d the cop used a “takedown maneuver” on the girl because she was resisting arrest, pulling away from the cop, who had only placed one handcuff on her. But that was before the video surfaced showing San Bernardino police officer Jackson Tubbs grabbing her from behind by her SpongeBob SquarePants backpack and arresting her without explanation.  Erin Marie Cowser was 17 years old when she was brutally attacked by San Bernardino police officer Jackson Tubbs, who grabbed her from behind and body slammed her, knocking her unconscious with a gaping gash on her chin. She is now suing. (Photos: Toni J. Jaramilla, Esq.) Cowser, in fact, had been a victim of assault by a group of other teens, which is why the cops were called in the first place, according to a lawsuit filed last week in state court.  The lawsuit names Tubbs as the main defendant, a cop who shot and killed a man in 2023 over a vehicle code violation, resulting in a $4.9 million settlement last year after San Bernardino cops were accused of planting a gun on the victim. ‘We Need Answers Now!’: Influencer and Fiancé Reportedly Argued Before She Was Found Dead in Hotel, and He Didn’t Call Family Until 11 Hours Later California attorney Toni J. Jaramilla, who is representing Cowser, accused the cops of lying in their version of events, telling local media last week they “failed to correct the false narrative.” “A hip toss that flipped Erin in the air, her legs flying over her head, and she landed face-first, head-first on the concrete,” Jaramilla told reporters during a press conference on Friday, where she announced the lawsuit. The lawsuit states that after body slamming her to the asphalt, Tubbs picked her up and “dropped her face-first onto the metal floor sill of his patrol car.” The cops are also accused of lying about her injuries, claiming they were a result of the other teens attacking her — but video evidence contradicts that lie. Watch the video below. The Coverup The incident took place on May 21, 2025, after police responded to an altercation between two groups of teenagers at a Food 4 Less grocery store.  Jaramilla says Cowser had been attacked by the other teens. A security guard broke up the fight by pepper-spraying the students. By the time cops arrived, it was over. Cowser was standing outside the store talking with friends when she was snatched by Tubbs, who slammed the 110-pound girl like a rag doll. “Don’t grab her like that,” said a young man recording as the cop was holding her hands behind her back, seconds before he slammed her to the ground. “Hey, b_tch ass n_gga!” yelled the young man recording who is friends with Cowser. The friend then turns to another cop and asks for his badge number, but that cop extended his baton, ordering him to “back up” as Cowser cried out in pain. Cowser, now 18, told local media the last thing she remembers before losing consciousness was the cop telling her to “stop resisting” – but that phrase is frequently stated by cops whether the suspect is resisting or not. “Then I woke up, I was in the back of the cop car on the freeway. And I looked down, and I seen a bunch of blood on my body, and my chin was still leaking,” she said. “And he had my phone in his hand, and I looked up, and I asked him, I said, ‘What happened to me? Like, what’d you do to me?’ He was like, ‘You fell.’ And then it went black again.” The lawsuit accuses Tubbs and other officers of lying to their superiors about her injuries, claiming she received them while fighting with other juveniles. It accuses Tubbs of muting his body camera, but his lies were captured on other officers’ body cameras, the claim states. Tubbs also lied to Cowser’s mother, aunt and grandmother about her injuries, claiming “she was injured by juveniles who attacked her at the Food 4 Less.” According to the lawsuit: Because Officer Tubbs still had Plaintiff’s arms pinned behind her back, she was completely unable to brace herself for the fall. Her head and face violently struck the asphalt pavement.  The impact knocked Plaintiff unconscious. She sustained a concussion with loss of consciousness and memory, a deep open gash under her chin, a large abrasion on the left side of her face, and blood poured from the wound onto the pavement and her clothing Cop Admits He Lied Three days later, on May 24, San Bernardino police posted a press release on its Facebook page, stating the following: There have been statements made on social media alleging that the female was slammed to the ground while handcuffed and that an officer claimed she “fell”, suggesting an attempt to deny the use of force. We would like to clarify that these claims are inaccurate. At the time of the physical encounter, the officer was attempting to place the female in handcuffs. The officer was only able to place one of her hands in cuffs when she began actively pulling away and attempting to walk off from the officer when a takedown maneuver was used. Cowser was charged with trespassing and attempting to fight other juveniles, but those charges were eventually dismissed. Also listed as defendants are San Bernardino police officer  Cynthia Guillen, along with several John Doe cops who are accused of going along with the lies about her injuries. “There are numerous body-worn videos proving that Officer Tubbs repeatedly lied about how Plaintiff was injured, claiming she fell while fighting with juveniles,” the claim states. “Further, Officer Tubbs subsequently admitted during the SBPD use of force investigation that he in fact did lie.”  “Yet, the SBPD never released a public retraction despite their claim that they remain “committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the public’s trust,” the claim continues. The lawsuit accuses the cops and the city of San Bernardino of violating her civil rights, racial profiling, assault and battery and negligence.  “Plaintiff suffered severe physical injuries including a traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness, permanent facial scarring from a laceration requiring sutures, wrist and back injuries, extensive bruising and abrasions, as well as severe emotional distress, fear, humiliation, anxiety, loss of liberty, and interference with the major life milestone of her high school graduation,” the claim states. ‘My Chin Was Still Leaking’: California Cop Slams Black Teen on the Ground When She Was the Victim, Not the Suspect. Now She Wants Him to Pay ...read more read less