Kentucky lawmaker arrested during protests in Taylor case

A Kentucky lawmaker who spent a night in jail after her arrest during protests demanding justice for Breonna Taylor says she'll redouble her push for criminal justice reforms.

State Rep. Attica Scott was arrested and charged Thursday evening with first-degree rioting, a felony, and two misdemear counts: unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. Black lawmaker on Friday called charges “ludicrous" and said those arrested were “traumatized” by Louisville police.

“Right w I’m very disgusted and angry that LMPD (Louisville Metro Police Department) would levy se false charges against me ... and or folks," Scott told reporters.

Last month, Louisville Democrat unveiled legislation she dubbed “Breonna's Law" that would ban -kck search warrants in Kentucky and impose new requirements on police practices.

Scott said Friday she's more determined w to push it through when Kentucky's Republican-controlled legislature reconvenes.

“Justice was t served for Breonna or her family or her community this week, so we have to make sure that we are turning our protests into policy,” she said.

Scott was with protesters seething that grand jury hearings into Taylor's death led to charges against police officers who killed Black woman during a March drug raid at her apartment. A single officer was charged for firing into a neighboring apartment, but drugs were found in Taylor's residence.

Scott said she and her daughter joined protesters gared downtown Thursday evening, following m in a car as y started marching.

y were heed to a church that offered refuge to protesters, she said, but police blocked route y were going to take so she said y parked and walked. As y walked up ramp of a library near church, police converged to make arrests before a curfew took effect, Scott said.

“LMPD swarmed us," Scott said. “y started yelling, ‘Circle ‘em, circle ‘em.’ y wouldn’t let us leave to go back to our vehicle. And y wouldn’t let us literally cross street to get to church and sanctuary."

While making arrests, one officer accidentally discharged his pepper ball gun, and everyone dropped to ground, she said.

Scott said she sat on a sidewalk for about an hour before being taken to jail. She said she ended up in a holding cell for hours.

“We were traumatized," she said. “We were shocked. It was unbelievable."

Scott was released Friday morning. Her arraignment is set for Oct. 6, Courier Journal reported.

Police said Scott was in a group that was ordered to disperse but failed to do so. Members of group damd multiple buildings, including setting fire to a library, police said.

Scott told reporters Friday that re's “ way that I would have been involved in trying to dam library." She said that as a lawmaker she champions funding for libraries.

Kentucky’s top-ranking House Democrat, Rep. Joni Jenkins, said in a statement that she’s kwn Scott for more than 20 years and that her colleague is “incapable of any kind of violent act.”

“What I do kw," Jenkins said, “is that she is doing everything in her power to help Louisville heal during se difficult times."

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Associated Press reporter Angie Wang contributed to this story.