‘I just feel so unsafe’

An Ohio mom has accused police of sending her 17-month-old son to the hospital with burns when they raided her home by mistake and deployed “flash-bang” devices in search of a suspect.

Elyria police’s Special Response Team executed a search warrant at the home at 331 Parmely Ave. on Jan. 10 “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation,” the agency said in a statement.

“During the tactical operation, two diversionary devices, commonly known as a ‘flash-bangs’ were deployed outside of the residence,” police said.

“These devices produce sound and light that is noticeable in day or night conditions and are intended to distract the suspects (sic) attention,” they said, adding that the devices “do not produce a continuous burn and they do not deploy or contain any pepper gas or chemical agents.”

Police said the officers made repeated announcements before entering the home, where they found a woman and her 17-month-old son, Waylon.

“The female informed officers that the child had a pre-existing medical condition,’” police said.

Courtney Price said on Facebook that her son, who was already on a ventilator, suffered burns to his body and was covered in glass and smoke after police broke a window and deployed the devices.

“All I seen was lights flashing and smoke coming into the house,” Price told CBS News. “I didn’t know what to do because there was guns pointed at me. I wanted to run to him, but I knew if I ran to him … they could’ve shot.”

She said she was taken outside and handcuffed.

“I was screaming, ‘My baby, my baby, he’s on a ventilator, my baby is in here,’” Price wrote on Facebook.

“His diagnosis is chemical pneumonitis from the chemicals in the flash-bang,” she told CBS News.

Police said Price told detectives that she planned on taking the boy to the hospital “due to the child’s pre-existing illness unrelated to the tactical operation.

“However, she lacked an available car seat for transportation,” police said. “Elyria Police detectives called Lifecare Ambulance to the scene to provide any medical attention that EMS deemed necessary.”

Paramedics evaluated the child and provided transportation to a hospital, according to the police statement.

“Any allegation suggesting the child was exposed to chemical agents, lack of medical attention or negligence is not true,” police said, adding that they and Price confirmed that Waylon did not suffer any visible injuries at the scene.

“The investigation that led to the affidavit to obtain a search warrant for 331 Parmely Ave. in Elyria Ohio remains active and ongoing,” police said, adding that the warrant was executed at the right address.

Price wrote on Facebook that “15 seconds is all it took to flip our world upside down” after she heard the “loudest knock on the door” and moments later the cops broke in.

“I have multiple guns pointed at me and I just freeze in fear, I could see smoke coming through the window that was busted right where my baby was laying & I knew he couldn’t breathe it in,” she wrote.

“There were 20+ officers in the house. Not one had the decency to check on my baby, get the glass off him or get him out of the house that had smoke in it,” Price continued.

“Every single one was evil enough to sit there and let my baby breathe in that air and struggle to breathe. The SWAT team had 2 medics, one listened to him with a stethoscope and said ‘sounds clear,’” she wrote, adding, “My baby did not sound clear.”

Price also claimed that “the negligence from Elyria Police Department caused my baby to have a chemical reaction in & around his eyes. They caused my baby to stop breathing for a few seconds this morning.”

Her aunt, Redia Jennings, who has rented the home for a year, said police have come several times searching for a suspect who didn’t live there, CBS News reported.

Jennings and her husband, Marlon, said they have no relation to the suspect.

“I walked in my house, and I was just… [I] couldn’t believe it,” Redia told WKYC. “I don’t like anything being on my kitchen table, so you could imagine [with] everything being piled up on the floor, and just everything was overturned — the beds, the TVs, everything.”

Price said she brought Waylon to the Cleveland area for heart surgery, but that it has now been delayed, according to the outlet.

The child has been moved out of the ICU at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, but is being treated for inflammation of the lungs, irritation of the eyes and the lingering effects of smoke, Price told WKYC.

“We came here for a fresh start, and now I just feel so unsafe here,” Price told the outlet. “I’m just trying to tough it out and stay for better care, but I just do not like being here now. It’s really hard.”

Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker called the allegations “extreme and deeply concerning,” adding in a statement that “a complete review of the incident and all information” will soon be released.

He said bodycam footage from the incident would be released Tuesday.

“Our residents demand to know what occurred, and rightfully so,” Brubaker said. “Thankfully, our City had the technology to record events in real-time via many body-worn cameras throughout the entirety of the incident. I’m particularly grateful these cameras captured clear audio and video, from several angles. I am eager to release this footage for all of you to view.”