OC Female Bounty Hunters Under Fire For Breaking Into Woman's Apartment Looking For Suspect
HAWTHORNE (CBSLA.com) — A group of Orange County female bounty hunters is under fire for breaking into a Hawthorne woman's apartment looking for a suspect.
Shavonna Sutton, 25, said the Lipstick Bounty Hunters burst through her home last Friday to apprehend fugitive Ricky Lewis.
Lewis previously dated Sutton and the bounty hunters claimed they had information that the pair was still together.
Sutton, however, said she hasn't spoken to Lewis in more than two years.
She said the altercation, which she captured on camera, traumatized her 7-year-old daughter who was home at the time.
"She's having nightmares. She doesn't want to be left alone. She's consistently waking up out of her sleep to tell me, 'Mom, are they going to come and kill you?'" said Sutton.
She added, "I feel violated by what they did. And I want justice."
Chris Alvarez, the bounty hunter who led the search for Lewis, said they tried several times to get Sutton to open the door.
Alvarez said Sutton refused, so they had a right to break-in.
"All she had to do is say, 'Look. He's not here.' We had reason to believe he's in there, and that's why we forced entry," said Alvarez.
Meantime, the bounty hunters were recently served a lawsuit from a man who claims they used excessive force during his attempted arrest.
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