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Federal lawsuit filed against police officer seen in viral video of movie theater altercation

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — A federal lawsuit has been filed in the case of a woman who used her cellphone to confront a police officer at a movie theater and was arrested.

Melanie Carter shot the video that went viral last year, as she confronted Officer Chris Kelley at the Phoenix Theatre in North Versailles.

Carter said the officer was harassing a group of African American girls.

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Carter is now filing a lawsuit against Kelly and Phoenix Theaters Entertainment accusing them of violating her constitutional rights.

"This is a guy in full uniform employed by a movie theater for secondary employment, right, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and right before he uses his body weight to throw Melanie Carter to the ground, he ask her for a light. Everything about it is disturbing," said Carter's attorney Alec Wright.

Channel 11 reached out to the officer and the movie theater, but so far we haven't heard back.