City of Austin settles lawsuit with pregnant 2020 protester shot with less-lethal round, woman receives $100K

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Council approved a settlement Thursday with Saraneka Alexander, a then-pregnant woman who was hit with a non-lethal round during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020.

KXAN reported on Alexander's case previously, she gave us a different last name at the time.

Alexander told us she was shot in the back, stomach and head with rubber bullets by Austin Police during a protest. She went to the hospital and her baby was unharmed, she said.

“Pregnancy is already pretty hard, then add getting shot a few times to that,” Alexander said then. When asked why she was at the protest in the first place, she replied that she had to protest “because she was pregnant,” discussing problems with getting medical care for her prior pregnancies.

The city said the settlement amount was for $100,000.

“In exchange for this payment, Saraneka Alexander will release all claims against the city and any city official that she could have brought as a result of this incident. And she will also dismiss with prejudice her lawsuit that's filed in the western district, United States federal court,” the city said.

Including Alexander’s settlement, the city said it has paid a total of $18,975,000 in settlements related to the actions taken by police during the 2020 protests.

“The settlement reflects the fact that each case the City receives is different, and we review the facts and circumstances and seek a fair and appropriate resolution for all parties involved,” the city said.