PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 A California woman is claiming she was pulled over and arrested for DUI in 2024 because Phoenix police officers needed to meet their arrest quota.<\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s Family obtained the lawsuit Thursday. Brianna Longoria said she was wrongfully arrested because she didn\u2019t run a red light and all the tests were negative for drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
According to the court paperwork, Phoenix Police Officer Mary Methany stopped Longoria after Longoria, with her husband in the passenger seat, drove through the intersection of Seventh Street and Washington Street<\/a> in downtown Phoenix on Dec. 29, 2024.<\/p>\n Police said Longoria ran the red light, but the lawsuit said body camera video showed the light was green when Longoria drove through the intersection in front of Officer Methany.<\/p>\n During the stop, three other officers arrived on the scene, and Officer Methany said Longoria had red eyes and dilated pupils, consistent with being impaired.<\/p>\n The lawsuit said Methany suspected Longoria of being high on marijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m not suspecting any alcohol. I just want to rule it out,\u201d Methany said on body camera video.<\/p>\n After Longoria took a breathalyzer test, Officer Methany said, \u201cTriple zeros. Just like I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit said the body camera video and the mug shot showed Longoria\u2019s eyes were not red, glossy or droopy.<\/p>\n The lawsuit claimed Longoria showed no signs of being impaired and passed all the field tests, but was arrested anyway.<\/p>\n The lawsuit included links to body camera video where Longoria\u2019s attorneys claim Officer Methany and Officer Anette Hannah talked about having to meet DUI arrest quotas while Longoria was being processed.<\/p>\n Officer Hannah said, \u201cThey\u2019re going to kick me off squad if I don\u2019t get a DUI. But I seriously pulled like so [unintelligible]…\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Methany said, \u201cNo. No. There\u2019s nights where I don\u2019t get any. You\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Hannah said, \u201cBut I\u2019m like, I can\u2019t just conjure one up. I have tried.\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Methany said, \u201cYou can. You can.\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Hannah said, \u201cI hung out on Seventh Ave, by those bars.\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Methany said, \u201cBars?\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Hannah said, \u201cBars. On Melrose. [pause] I pulled a couple over, and they were DDs [designated drivers].\u201d<\/p>\n Longoria also underwent a blood test, which showed she had zero alcohol or drugs in her system.<\/p>\n According to the court paperwork, while Longoria was being arrested, her husband was talking to another police officer who said even if Longoria\u2019s blood alcohol level was 0.0, \u201cthe city can do whatever they want to do with those results,\u201d showing a culture that tolerates or encourages arrests without proper basis.<\/p>\n But the damage was done, as officers still took a mug shot of Longoria and she was still charged with DUI.<\/p>\n Longoria, who was battling cancer, missed a procedure, lost her driver\u2019s license until July 2025 and had her plans to become a nurse put in jeopardy, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n Longoria also claims she had married the day before the arrest and says legal costs and transportation expenses forced her to cancel her honeymoon.<\/p>\n The city filed a motion April 3, 2025, to dismiss the DUI charge \u201cwithout prejudice,\u201d so the case could be refiled through October 2025.<\/p>\n Longoria wants the city to pay for damages, and to remove the DUI arrest from all public records.<\/p>\n Arizona\u2019s Family reached out to the Phoenix Police Department for comment.<\/p>\n The Phoenix Police Department does not have DUI quotas. DUI enforcement assignments are based on operational needs, and officers assigned to impaired\u2011driving enforcement are expected to take action when their observations and training lead them to believe a driver may be impaired. Officers are required to base enforcement decisions on observed driving behavior, indicators of impairment, and the totality of the circumstances.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The lawsuit said Officer Methany resigned during a hearing in July 2025, but police said she and Hannah were still employed with the department.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n