Maryland Accident Law Blog

The family of Ryan Meyers is suing Baltimore County police and three cops for Maryland wrongful death. They are seeking $10 million in compensation and alleging negligence and police brutality.

Meyers is bipolar. The 40-year-old died after cops, who arrived at his parents' home following a 911 call, tasered him. Meyers had been allegedly using a baseball bat to attack people, and his father was injured.

According to the officers, they tasered him because he ignored their order to put down the bat. Meyers went down but then got up and allegedly tried to attack them. They managed to handcuff him and then saw that he was unresponsive. He went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Meyer’s family believes that the police officers could have used less force to apprehend him.

Taser Injuries
According to one study published in 2006 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation, even though getting struck by a Taser won’t likely cause cardiac arrest, it is recommended that Taser darts not be fired close to the heart. Seeing as this study was funded by Taser International, the manufacturer has known about this possible risk from some time.

Another man, Steven Butler, went into immediate cardiac arrest after he was tasered by cops. EMT’s were able to revive him, but his brain didn't get oxygen for such a long time that he is now permanently disabled. He and his family are suing Taser International for products liability.

In the last six years, there have been 8 Maryland taser deaths involving police. The stun gun shoots about 50,000 volts of electricity into the skin and is considered a less lethal alternative to shooting someone. However, medical experts say that getting struck near the chest by a Taser dart can make the target’s heartbeat go from 72 beats per minute to up to 220 beats a minute.

Meantime, Taser maintains that its electronic control device is safe for use.

Family Sues Police After Fatal Taser Shot, WJZ, March 5, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Taser

Baltimore County Police

The family of Dwight Jerome Madison is suing Harford County and the Harford County Sheriff's Office for Maryland wrongful death. Madison, 48, died after police threw him in jail last June. His family is alleging wrongful arrest and police brutality. They are seeking $145 million from the defendants.

According to the Maryland police brutality lawsuit, Madison was arrested on June 11, 2009 just hours after police stopped him in Bel Air. The 48-year-old was let go after he told them he was looking for a friend in the area. Police officer followed him and arrested him for trespassing. He was transported to the Harford County Detention Center.

Police claim that Madison asked to be arrested so he would have some place to go. They then contend that while in custody, he became uncooperative and grabbed and choked one of the guards. Police TASERed Madison, who fell and struck his head.

The Maryland wrongful death lawsuit claims that the following day, a civilian jail worker and three corrections officers assaulted Madison, who had a severe head injury. Even though it was allegedly obvious to those involved that Madison was dying, they continued to Taser him, causing his death. Madison died at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore on June 13.

The family’s wrongful death lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, says the corrections employees and deputies directly caused his wrongful death and violated his legal rights. It also alleges that the defendants have consistently engaged in “condoning its officers’ pervasive misconduct and abuse of authority.”

Arresting someone without just cause and using excessive force to detain them are both possible grounds for suing the police for Maryland personal injury.

Even if you did break the law, police must still uphold your civil rights. Unfortunately, many people are too scared to speak out for fear of repercussions.

$145 million wrongful death lawsuit filed against county, sheriff's office, Explore Harford, February 2, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Read the Police Press Release, Harford Sheriff, June 13, 2009

Harford County, Maryland

A 38-year-old Baltimore man has filed a civil rights violation lawsuit accusing Anne Arundel County police of violating his civil rights when they arrested and imprisoned him without just case. Melvin B. Thomas says he was falsely arrested on January 17 for asking “What about freedom of the press?” after officers apprehended his friend for using a cell phone to videotape cops handcuffing spectators following a Glen Burnie boxing event when some people became rowdy.

Thomas says he and his friend, 32-year-old Pasadena resident Leshon C. Ruffin, were the only two people who were thrown in jail where he stayed for 12 hours. Now, he is seeking $30,000 in damages.

Cpl. Russell Hewitt III, who is a defendant in the Maryland false arrest lawsuit, claims in charging documents that Ruffin was apprehended for trying to approach officers while they were doing their job. He says he arrested Thomas because he was causing a disturbance with his yelling.

Thomas’s attorney, however, says that Thomas and Ruffin were behaving in a nondisruptive manner while others around them were shouting out profanities. All charges against the two men were dropped. Thomas has said that because he and his friend are black he thinks race was a factor. Two white people that also were handcuffed were released at the scene.

Thomas's Maryland civil rights violation lawsuit is seeking $30,000 in damages.

Maryland False Arrest Lawsuit
A police officer who has violated a person’s civil rights can be sued for damages. Making false arrests, wrongful imprisonment, excessive use of force, verbal abuse, harassment, torture, intimidating tactics, and sexual assaulting a suspect or prisoner can be grounds for a civil lawsuit against the offending police officer, his/her police department, and possibly even the city or the county where the violation took place.

You don’t have to be afraid about coming forward if you were the victim of Maryland police brutality or were falsely arrested without just cause.

Man sues county police for arrest, HometownGlenburnie.com, January 2, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Anne Arundel County

False Arrests, Convictions and Imprisonments, New York Times

Continue reading "Baltimore Man Sues Anne Arundel County Police Department and Officer for False Arrest " »

A Maryland jury has awarded a Greenbelt woman a $261,000 Prince George’s County police brutality verdict. Kimberly Jones says sheriff’s deputies forced their way into her residence, assaulted her, and maced her.

The alleged Prince George’s County, Maryland personal injury incident occurred on September 15, 2006. Jones, 35, woke up to the sound of knocking. She put on a robe and slightly opened the door. Two Prince George's County sheriff deputies, Gerald Henderson and Billy Falby, allegedly forced their way in without a warrant.

Not only did the two men allegedly assault her, but they are accused of making her change into dirty clothes at the arrest scene without making sure a female deputy was there to help her. A neighbor, who would later testify in court, called 911 to report seeing the two deputies assault Jones.

Jones was charged with assaulting a cop. She was let go from her job because of the arrest and since then, hasn’t been able to obtain work involving children. The criminal charge against her was eventually dropped.

According to Reason.com, the cops had entered the wrong house. The officers accused of the alleged Maryland police brutality have said they were just following instructions.

The jury agreed that the two men did follow Prince George's County Sheriff's Department protocol. However, they found that the procedures were unconstitutional.

This is not the first incident involving alleged police misconduct by Prince George's County cops. According to the Washington Post, from 2000 – 2006 some 800,000 people have received approximately $16.3 million in police brutality compensation from the county.

Excessive use of force by police is a crime. Injury victims may be entitled to Maryland police brutality recovery. If you were beaten, verbally abused, sexually assaulted, arrested without just cause, or feel that police violated your civil rights in another way, you should speak with a Maryland injury lawyer.

Greenbelt woman wins $261,000 lawsuit against Maryland, Gazette.net, October 1, 2009

Failing His Way to Higher Office, Reason Magazine, October 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Prince George's County Maryland, Office of the Sheriff's

Survey: ER doctors suspect excessive police force, USA Today, January 7, 2009

Top 5 Police Brutality Videos, The Huffington Post, July 30, 2009

In Maryland, the city of Annapolis has reached a confidential settlement with two men who say that a police officer wrongfully arrested and beat them. Their lawsuit stemmed from two separate alleged police brutality incidents on March 30, 2005 and on August 19, 2005.

According to the Maryland police brutality lawsuit of Quinton T Smith and Jose Louis Meneses-Araiza, the two men were separately arrested and beaten without cause by Annapolis Police Officer Gary Black. The plaintiffs alleged false arrest, battery, false imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, and conspiracy by Black and were seeking to have a civil jury determine compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.

Menesez-Araiza, 28 sustained serious head trauma after his altercation with Black on March 30, 2005. He underwent brain surgery and his medical expenses were over $70,000. According to the Maryland police brutality complaint, Menesez-Araiza approached Black and another officer while they were talking to some Hispanic men they had stopped over a traffic violation. Menesez-Araiza offered to help translate.

Black ordered to him to leave the scene and when he didn’t do so immediately, he arrested him and repeatedly kicked and punched him until Meneses-Araiza fell, hit his head, and lost consciousness while at the police station.

Black and another cop then called an ambulance but, according to the lawsuit, did not tell dispatchers that Meneses-Araiza had struck his head. As a result, paramedics took him to Anne Arundel Medical Center believing he may have had a drug overdose. Following a CT scan, he was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he underwent a craniotomy. However, an Internal Affairs investigation into Black’s conduct during the Mach 30, 2005 incident determined that he didn’t do anything wrong.

As for Smith, he claims he got hurt on August 19, 2005. He says he saw Black and other police officers arresting another man and reportedly yelled out that they were being too rough. They told him to leave, but before he could, the lawsuit contends, Black approached and tried kicking his legs out from under him. The police officer also allegedly smashed Smith’s face into the ground. Smith, who had to have stitches on his lip, was taken into police custody and charged with failure to obey a police officer. The charges against him were eventually dismissed.

Black is no longer with the Annapolis police force, but the attorney for the city maintains that he did nothing wrong. The two plaintiffs received separate Maryland police brutality settlements.

City settles police brutality lawsuit, HometownAnnapolis.com, April 14, 2009

Annapolis Settles Police-Brutality Lawsuit, Washington Post, April 14, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Annapolis Sued for Police Brutality, Maryland Accident Law Blog, March 31, 2008

Top 5 Police Brutality Videos, The Huffington Post, July 30, 2008

Four years after a SWAT team fatally shot Cheryl Lynn Noel during a drug raid of her Dundalk home, the ensuing wrongful death lawsuit filed in Baltimore County has finally gone to trial. Attorneys for both sides gave opening statements last week.

During the wrongful death trial, a jury will determine whether law enforcement officers were justified in shooting Noel or if the deadly incident was an example of police abuse of power and her family should be compensated for her loss.

According to the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit filed by her husband Charles, he and Noel, a 44-year-old mother, were in bed on January 1, 2005, when at around 4:30 am members of the Baltimore County SWAT team barged into their residence using a battering ram and a flash-bang grenade because they suspected it was a narcotics den housing cocaine and marijuana. The officers, who were heavily armed, claimed to have found traces of drugs in garbage cans outside the residence.

Noel reportedly grabbed a lawfully registered gun that she pointed toward the floor. The complaint contends that Officer Carlos Artson then kicked in the bedroom door and without asking Noel to drop the gun shot her three times—the last time while she was already on the floor.

While Baltimore County Police maintain that they did nothing wrong, the Noel family’s wrongful death attorney maintains that Noel was within her legal rights to protect her home, police violated her civil rights by shooting and killing her without giving her an opportunity to drop her weapon, and the the third shot fired at her was “grossly excessive.”

Excessive use of violence by law enforcement officers can be grounds for a police brutality claim or a wrongful death lawsuit.

Lawsuit brings dissection of fatal SWAT raid, Baltimore Sun, March 18, 2009

Family of slain Dundalk woman sues Baltimore County police, Examiner.com, August 10, 2006

Related Web Resource:
Baltimore County

In Maryland, a Salisbury man is waiting to find out whether a judge will allow his $45 million police brutality lawsuit to go to court. Ceasar Savage says that a number of police officers beat him unconscious when apprehending him outside his mother’s Newton Terrace home in January 2007.

Savage, 37, says that he did not regain consciousness until he was in the emergency room at the Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Upon his release, police took him into custody and charged him with resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, and a number of drug charges.

According to Savage’s Maryland police brutality complaint, two of the police officers that approached Savage said they were probing a reported burglary in the area. They asked for his registration and license information and asked him to step out of the car.

Savage was handcuffed while police searched the vehicle without a warrant or his consent. No drugs were found. Savage says he asked to be set free and that one police officer began using excessive force on him, busting his teeth and jaws and bruising him on the face.

A Maryland jury would later find Savage not guilty of assaulting a police officer and failing to obey. They also acquitted him of assault charges. The state of Maryland dismissed the remaining criminal charges against him in May 2007.

Savage says he experienced a similar altercation in December 2007 involving some of the police officers he is now suing. All charges related to that incident where dismissed last year.

Savage’s Maryland police brutality lawsuit names Salisbury City Council, Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman, and Salisbury police officers Tanya Ehrisman, David Underwood, Kenneth Wilson, Brian Whitman, Christopher DeVoe, Milton Rodriquez, Chad Crockett, Lisa Purnell, and James Russell. The defendants had sought to have the Maryland personal injury lawsuit dismissed claiming that the Salisbury Police Department cannot be sued.

Brutality lawsuit still awaits trial, DelMarvanow.com, March 2, 2009

$45M lawsuit claims police brutality, DelMarvaNow.com, January 10, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Top 5 Police Brutality Videos, The Huffington Post, March 10, 2009

Stop Police Brutality

A Maryland man is suing Baltimore’s Police Department for $210 million. Daryl A Martin, 35, claims that a group of rogue police officers apprehended him at gun point and, in front of 30 people, made him take his clothes off and conducted a search inside his rectum. This is the second federal lawsuit filed in less than a year accusing Baltimore police officers that belonged to a “Special Enforcement Team” of engaging in civil rights violations.

Martin is a retail shop manager and a Navy veteran who has never been charged with committing a crime. He alleges that he was strip searched because he is black.

Martin's 43-page complaint says that on April 26, 2006, he and a friend were driving in a Buick Lucerne when their vehicle was pulled over by two sets of Baltimore police officers. Officer Antonio Rodriguez allegedly asked for Martin’s vehicle registration and license, told both occupants to get out of the vehicle, and searched the car. Officer Shakil Moss is accused of putting on a rubber glove, taking the plaintiff’s pants and underwear off, and inserting a finger inside his rectum. A crowd reportedly witnessed the strip search.

Martin reported the search incident. A lab test showed that the glove used by Moss also had DNA from Martin. In his lawsuit, Martin accuses the Baltimore Police Department of tolerating the officers’ conduct.

In another lawsuit filed last March, the plaintiffs accused Moss and other police officers of illegally apprehending, searching, terrorizing, and humiliating residents without just cause.

Police Brutality
Any act of police violence is a crime and violates a person’s civil rights. The US constitution also says that people have the right to not be subject to illegal searches and seizures.

If you were assaulted, abused, or violated by a police officer or another law enforcement official, your civil rights have been violated and you may be entitled to compensation for the harm that you have suffered as a victim of police brutality.

Man recounts strip search after filing suit against police, Baltimore Sun, February 4, 2009

Maryland: Man sues over public strip search, Demarvanow.com, February 4, 2009

Related Web Resources:
The US Constitution Online

Police Brutality, PoliceBrutality.Info

In Maryland, the Board of Public Works has approved a $500,000 wrongful death settlement for the family of Ifeanyi A. Iko, an inmate who died in 2004 after being subdued with pepper spray at the Western Correctional Institution. According to the state medical examiner, his cause of death was homicide due to the “chemical irritation of the airways by pepper spray,” the use of a mask on the 51-year-old prisoner’s face, and the manner in which he was restrained.

The Nigerian immigrant was found asphyxiated following an altercation with police when he was removed from his cell, handcuffed at the wrists and ankles, put in a spit-protection mask, and sprayed with pepper. Other prisoners who saw the incident say that prison guards severely beat Iko and used three cans of pepper spray on him.

While an Allegany County grand jury did not indict the correctional officers involved in the pepper spray incident, the prison’s lead investigator in the case has admitted that key evidence, such as wet clothing and video footage, were not preserved. Also, two months after Iko died, the state prison commissioner issued stricter guidelines on pepper spray use. Now, officers need a warden or assistant warden to approve the use of the spray and anytime the spray is used, a full report must be prepared within 24 hours.

Iko’s family had filed a $28 million federal wrongful death lawsuit, which will now be dismissed, following the incident on April 30, 2004 in Cumberland. The half a million dollar settlement may be the largest award granted in a Maryland personal injury or wrongful death case involving a prisoner victim.

Pepper Spray
Pepper spray can irritate the eyes, skin, and airways. Burning, tearing, sneezing, shortness of breath, coughing, skin blisters, and vomiting are some of the symptoms that can occur. Concentrated use of this spray can lead to more serious health conditions.

Maryland police officers and correctional officers are not supposed to use excessive force or severe restraint methods when apprehending suspects or prisoners. Failure to exercise this duty of care can be grounds for a Maryland police brutality or wrongful death lawsuit.

State will pay $500,000 in death of prisoner, Baltimore Sun, January 2, 2009

FBI Investigating Md. Inmate's Death, Washington Post, September 11, 2004

Related Web Resources:
Pepper spray rules tighten, Daily Press, July 21, 2004

Western Correctional Institution

Anne Arundel County has agreed to pay $90,000 to settle the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Donald Coates. The 20-year-old was shot dead by Anne Arundel County Police Officer Tommy Pleasant in 2005.

Earlier this year, Coates’s family members filed federal and state lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages. They claimed that Pleasant, who was a rookie and had been patrolling solo for just a month when the incident happened, acted wrongfully when he shot Coates, who was naked and unarmed at the time.

The shooting incident occurred on May 24, 2005. According to witnesses, Coates had called 911 while he was smoking marijuana in his home. He claimed that someone was trying to kill him. He then fired several shots before leaving the premise.

Pleasant saw Coates, who started running toward him. The then-22-year-old cop later explained that he thought Coates was on drugs and that his only choice was to shoot the naked man.

In September 2005, a grand jury found that Pleasant was not criminally liable for Coates’s shooting death. He continues to work as an Anne Arundel County police officer.

Excessive use of violence by police officers to apprehend suspects is considered a violation of one’s civil rights. It can also be grounds for a police brutality claim or a wrongful death lawsuit if someone is injured or killed.

Suit Is Settled In '05 Police Killing of Man, Washington Post, December 19, 2008

Arundel settles suit, Baltimore Sun, December 18, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Anne Arundel County Police Department

Anne Arundel County Sued for Wrongful Death of Naked Man Shot by Cop, Lebowitz & Mzhen, July 7, 2008

Two recent Maryland lawsuits have brought the topic of police brutality to the media forefront. Last week, a judge ruled that teenager Eric Bush can sue the city of Baltimore for Maryland personal injury even though he had missed the deadline for letting the city know he intended to sue. The judge said Bush showed good cause for why his notice that there would be a lawsuit was late.

Bush became a YouTube star after footage of Officer Salvatore Rivieri putting the then-14-year-old skateboarder in a headlock and chastising him for calling the cop "dude" was posted on the popular Web site. The altercation took place in 2007 at the Inner Harbor.

Bush says he never heard Rivieri give him an order about skateboarding. Rivieri, a police veteran, was suspended after the video footage of the incident was brought to the Baltimore police Department’s attention.

In another Maryland police brutality lawsuit, US District Judge William D. Quarles says the wrongful death case involving a man shocked with a Taser by a Frederick County Sheriff’s deputy can move forward against Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and the Frederick County Board of Commissioners.

Jarrel Gray died in November 2007 after he was Tasered by Corporal Rudy Torres, who had arrived at the scene of a fight that the 20-year-old was involved in. The Frederick County deputy reportedly used the weapon to stun Gray twice in 23 seconds. The 20-year-old died several hours after the incident.

Quarles had previously dismissed all defendants from the $145 million Frederick County wrongful death case except for Torres. Following the amended complaint by Grey’s family, however, the judge decided that the claims against the other defendants can also move forward. The civil lawsuit seeks compensation based on several counts, including civil rights violations, wrongful death, police brutality, negligent supervision, and inadequate training.

The use of Tasers has been criticized by civil rights groups for the many times the supposedly non-lethal weapons have been misused, causing injury or death, to their targets.

Police Brutality
Law enforcement officers are forbidden from using unnecessary or excessive force when dealing with suspects or other members of the public. Acts of police brutality can be grounds for a Maryland personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit.

Judge OKs Teen's Lawsuit Against Officer, WBALTV.com, December 11, 2008

Judge reinstates Frederick County sheriff and commissioners in Taser lawsuit, Gazette.net, December 12, 2008

Mother 'Furious' After Officer-Teen YouTube Encounter, WBALTV, February 13, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Watch the YouTube Video, Lebowitz & Mzhen, February 14, 2008

Taser

The family of Randy Rakes, a Finksburg man who died in 2006 in a Maryland motor vehicle crash involving a State Police trooper car on Md. 140, is calling on Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to remove trooper Dale Derr from the force. Their demand comes following a confrontation between Derr and Rakes’s half-brother, Joseph Blizzard, earlier this month.

According to the Rakes family's Maryland wrongful death lawyer, other troopers had detained Blizzard in Carroll County on October 12 when Derr arrived at the scene and verbally and physically assaulted him before throwing him to the ground, allegedly causing the suspect to break his thumb. Blizzard was arrested over allegations of check forgery.

Police say they are investigating the allegations against Derr. The Rakes family wants him suspended from the force pending the probe’s outcome.

The Rakes family is suing Derr and the Maryland State Police for $15.8 million for Randy’s wrongful death. On November 29, 2006, Rakes and a friend were walking along Route 140 late in the evening when they decided to cross the road. According to the Maryland State Police crash report, Derr, who was driving over 50 mph above the speed limit at around 80mph, struck Rakes with his vehicle.

The report cited the cause of death as Rakes’s failure to yield the rate of way to the cruiser and Derr's speeding. No charges were filed against Derr for his involvement in the crash.

Based on his alleged behavior toward Blizzard, the Rakes family is worried that Derr is “volatile” and could cause further harm.

Police Brutality
Law enforcement officers are forbidden from abusing their authority and exercising excessive force on anyone, including criminal suspects. If you have been a victim of police brutality, your civil rights have been violated and you may be entitled to personal injury compensation.

Md. trooper's firing sought by kin of 2006 crash victim, BaltimoreSun.com, October 29, 2008

Family wants cop fired, Carroll County TImes, October 29, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Maryland State Police

Police Brutality and Accountability in the US, HRW.org

The family of Donald E. Coates Jr., a 20-year-old Glen Burnie man who was unarmed and naked when he was killed by rookie Anne Arundel Police Officer Timothy Pleasant, is suing Anne Arundel for $10 million.

In the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit filed in Circuit Court, Pleasant is accused of acting with malice and behaving unreasonably on the night of May 24, 2005. The suit contends that no other police officer would have shot Burnie, who was fleeing, from behind.

Coates was delusional and on drugs when the shooting happened. According to Anne Arundel County police union president Officer O’Brien Atkinson, Pleasant “did exactly what he was trained to do under the circumstances” and that his only option was to use “deadly force.”

On the night of his death, Coates contacted 911 from his home and said that someone was trying to kill him. He then reportedly locked himself in the bathroom after ordering everyone in the house to leave at gunpoint.

Coates then jumped out of the bathroom window and hid behind the utility box. Pleasant spotted Coates and asked him to come out. Coates ran at him and Pleasant fired his gun four times. Coates died as a result of the shooting.

Coates’s family has filed the wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his two young children. The family claims they sustained mental trauma and pain and suffering because of the shooting death. They are demanding recovery for funeral costs, gross negligence, excessive force, and seizures.

Please contact our Maryland personal injury law firm if another party seriously injured you or someone you love because of their negligent or careless actions.

Police Brutality
Police brutality is the use of excessive and unreasonable force by law enforcement personnel, including county police officers, state police, and federal agents. Beating, shooting a suspect without justification, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and other violent actions are unjustifiable and against the law.

Police killing of naked man leads to $10 million lawsuit, BaltimoreSun.com, June 29, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Police Brutality in the US, HRW.org

Continue reading "Anne Arundel County Sued for Wrongful Death of Naked Man Shot by Cop" »

In Frederick County, Maryland, the family of Jarrel Gray, the 20-year-old man who died last year after he was shocked with a police Taser twice is suing the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, and Corporal Torres for Gray’s wrongful death.

Jeffrey Gray and Tanya Thomas are the plaintiffs in the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit. They are asking for $145 million. Thomas says that Torres and her son knew each other. She is accusing Torres of going too far by using the device on her son.

Gray was legally drunk during an altercation, and Torres was called to the scene to intervene. Maryland’s medical examiner’s office says that Gray’s cause of death was sudden death connected to alcohol intoxication and restraint.

On May 9, a Frederick County grand jury ruled that Torres was justified in using a Taser to apprehend Gray, who did not follow the command to show his hands to the corporal.

Gray’s family and the NAACP, however, remain skeptical. The NAACP wants the Department of Justice and the Maryland Attorney General to conduct a civil rights probe into the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office use of Tasers. The NAACP also wants the Sheriff’s Office to stop using Tasers until after such a review.

Although an independent study by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that Taser use by police usually results in a low incidence of serious injuries, there have been numerous incidents across the United States where Taser use to apprehend a suspect has resulted in serious injury or death.

There is also the question of when using a Taser is appropriate and whether in certain incidents, police officers have abused their authority by using the device unnecessarily. A Taser is supposed to be a non-lethal defense device that delivers an electric shock to the target that is supposed to incapacitate his or her neuromuscular system.

If you were injured or someone you love died because a police officer used excessive violence, you may have grounds to file a Maryland police brutality or wrongful death case against the negligent party.

Family seeks $145 million for death of man in Taser case, BaltimoreSun.com, May 29, 2008

Taser probe nears end, but doubt lingers, Gazette.Net, May 15, 2008

Study Suggests Taser Use By US Police Is Safe, Medical News Today.com, October 9, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Taser Concerns Grow As Death, Injuries Mount, The New Standard, February 17, 2005

Frederick County Sheriff's Office

Continue reading "Frederick, Maryland Parents File $145 Million for Son’s Wrongful Death By Taser " »

The wife and parents of James E. Dean, 29, and Afghanistan combat veteran, has filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Maryland State Police, St. Mary’s County, Calvert County, and Charles County.

A Maryland state trooper shot Dean in 2006 following a 14-hour standoff between the veteran and SWAT teams and armored vehicles outside his father’s house in St. Mary’s County.

Dean’s family says that Dean had been suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and that 16 individual officers, the state, and the three counties acted maliciously and with “callous disregard” for his life during the altercation. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of “needlessly provoking Dean.”

Dean was diagnosed with PTSD and serious depression after he spent a year leading a small infantry division in Afghanistan. He was instructed by the military to head to Iraq for a tour in January 2006.

The night before his death, Dean drank large quantities of alcohol and started throwing plates around the house. His wife, Muriel says she ordered him to leave because she was afraid he would hurt himself.

Dean went to his father’s house. His sister Kelly called police because she heard a gunshot and feared that he would try to kill himself.

Police began arriving. Following several hours of negotiation, police fired tear gas into the house to force Dean out. Dean eventually opened the door and pointed his gun at a state police vehicle. He was shot and killed by a single bullet fired by State Police Sgt. Daniel Weaver.

In 2007, St. Mary's state's attorney issued a report that said Dean’s death could have been avoided if police officers had used less aggressive tactics.

The lawsuit says state officers failed to let family members talk to Dean, used paramilitary tactics against a man who was traumatized from war, and neglected to bring a psychiatrist in to diffuse the standoff.

If someone you love has died because of the negligent actions of another party, you should contact our Maryland wrongful death law firm immediately.

Veteran's Family Sues Police, Counties, Washington Post, April 9, 2008

Reservist Due for Iraq Is Killed in Standoff With Police, Washington Post, December 27, 2006

Related Web Resources:

Maryland State Police

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, National Institute of Mental Health

Continue reading "Maryland State Police and Three Maryland Counties Sued For Veteran’s Wrongful Death" »

The city of Annapolis, Maryland, the Annapolis Police Department, and two Annapolis police officers have been named as the defendants of a personal injury lawsuit for police brutality.

Jose Louis Meneses-Araiza and Quinton T. Smith are accusing Officer Gary Black of arresting and beating each of them without justifiable reason during two separate incidents. Meneses-Araiza and Smith are accusing Officer Michael Schreiber and other members of the police force of covering up the attacks. This is the second police brutality lawsuit that has been filed against Officer Schreiber in the past year.

The two plaintiffs are alleging battery, false arrest, false imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, and conspiracy. They are also accusing the Police Department of failing to properly train and oversee its police officers.

Meneses-Araiza and Smith are seeking punitive and compensatory damages.

Meneses-Araiza says that Officer Black arrested and beat him on March 30, 2005 when Meneses-Araiza offered to act as a translator to Black, who was citing a group of Hispanic men for a traffic violation. Black told him to go away.

When Meneses-Araiza kept talking to the men, he says that Black arrested him for disorderly conduct and assaulted him. Meneses-Araiza says he lost consciousness and that Officers Black and Schreiber got an ambulance to pick him up. Paramedics took him to Anne Arundel Medical Center for what they believed was a drug overdose. Black filed second-degree assault charges against Meneses-Araiza.

Meneses-Araiza says he spent more than $71,000 in medical bills because of the serious head injury he sustained from the assault and that he had to undergo a craniotomy.

Smith says his lips needed stitches after Black arrested him. The incident occurred on August 19, 2005. He says that he yelled at Black and other police officers because he felt that they were being too rough on someone else they were arresting at the time.

He says that Black assaulted him. Smith said that police told him that any pending arrest charges against him would be dropped if he didn’t file a complaint against Black.

Officer Black retired from the Annapolis police force in 2006 and now works for the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department. Caroline County Sheriff Philip L. Brown had nothing but praise for Black, who is currently on leave from the force while serving in Iraq.

If you have been a victim of police brutality in Maryland or Washington D.C., please contact our personal injury law firm for your free consultation.

City sued for police brutality, HometownAnnapolis.com, March 28, 2008

Annapolis man suing the city for $2.25M, HometownAnnapolis.com, January 29, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Annapolis, Maryland

Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States

Continue reading "Annapolis Sued for Police Brutality" »

Baltimore Police Officer Salvatore Rivieri was suspended this week after a video of him roughing up a 14-year-old skateboarder appeared on YouTube.

In the video, Rivieri approaches a group of skateboarding teenagers. After telling them they are not allowed to skateboard at Inner Harbor, Rivieri grabbed Eric Bush, putting the teen in a headlock and threatening to strike him for his lack of respect.

Bush says he did not hear the officer when he told them not to skate. Rivieri was not aware that another boy was recording the incident.

Police brutality is a crime, and victims of this type of violence are entitled to claim damages from the perpetrator or any other responsible parties. A Maryland personal injury attorney can help you explore your legal options.

The issue of excessive violence by Baltimore police officers has been in the media limelight lately. Just last week, a Baltimore mother filed a $40 million police brutality lawsuit against another police officer for allegedly breaking the jaw of her 16-year-old son.

Mendolyn Lewis alleges that Baltimore Police Officer Ray Woodward hit her son Tevin James in the face while searching him for drugs. Tevin sustained several fractures to his jaw, which had to be wired shut. He also underwent several hours of surgery.

The teenager said he was walking home from driving school on January 23 when Woodward stopped him. He says that a car pulled up to the curb, Woodward asked him what he was doing, got out of the car, and stood facing the teenager.

Woodward then allegedly hit Tevin in the face. Tevin says he was not doing anything illegal at the time of the attack.

Skateboarder calls reaction over the top, Baltimore Sun, February 14, 2008

Officer Suspended After Skateboarder Rant, ABCNews, February 13, 2008

Lawsuit makes brutality claim, Baltimore Sun, February 12, 2008

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Baltimore Officer Jerome K. Hill has been named as the defendant in a $100 million police brutality lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in Baltimore Circuit Court in Maryland, alleges that Hill assaulted Rosedale resident Steven Vernarelli on October 22 near Monument and Curley Streets. According to the lawsuit, two other police officers saw the alleged assault but didn’t try to stop it.

Last week, in an unrelated incident, Hill was charged for assaulting an undercover internal affairs detective. The undercover officer was part of a sting operation targeting Hill. The detective had stood on Clinton and Noble streets pretending to be a drug buyer. A dispatcher told Hill to go there. Hill then allegedly got out of his car and punched the undercover detective without provocation. He is charged with second-degree assault and was suspended without pay. He is free on $25,000 bond.

Police Brutality
Police officers are not supposed to use excessive violence when questioning, arresting, or apprehending a suspect. Many incidents of police brutality go unreported. Some people may be too scared to report what happened while others might wonder whether the police officer was just doing his or her job.

You are entitled to the protection of your legal or civil rights even if you have been arrested or charged with a crime. You also are entitled to file a police brutality lawsuit for damages if you have been injured or someone you love has died because of excessive and unwarranted violence by a police officer.

Common forms of police brutality include sexual assault, physical assault, racial profiling, harassment, shootings, and beatings. Injuries to a victim can be serious and can sometimes result in death.

Police officers are supposed to uphold and enforce the law, not violate the law or the rights of citizens, immigrants, or tourists. When a law enforcement exerts excessive and unnecessary force when dealing with anyone, he or she can be held liable for personal injury damages.

Our Maryland and Washington D.C. injury law firm is dedicated to helping injured persons recover compensation for the harm that they have suffered by a negligent party.

$100 million lawsuit filed over police brutality claim, BaltimoreSun.com, January 30, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Police Brutality and Accountability in the U.S., HRW.org

§ 1983. Civil action for deprivation of rights, Cornell University Law School

Continue reading "Baltimore Police Officer Named in $100 Million Injury Lawsuit" »

In Maryland, the family of 7-year-old Gerard Mungo Jr. filed a personal injury lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department for $40 million. Police arrested the boy on March 13 for sitting on a motorized dirt bike parked near his home.

According to the personal injury lawsuit, the bike was not in operation at the time the boy was sitting on it and was parked in front of a home close to where he lives. Gerard’s family is accusing a Baltimore police officer of “maliciously and unreasonably grabbing Gerard by his shirt collar and dragging him off the bike.” Dirt bikes are illegal in the city of Baltimore. The police officer that handcuffed the boy to the bench has reportedly said the arrest would not have happened if the mother hadn’t called the police.

The lawsuit describes how police officers and the boy’s mother, Lakisa, started yelling, while the boy ran to his room. He was later handcuffed and transported to the Eastern District police station. Gerard was not charged with committing any crime.

A great deal of local media attention followed the arrest. Approximately 10 days later, Baltimore police entered the home of a Dinkins relative and placed a gun to the head of Lakisa’s 14-year-old son. They arrested Lakisa and police held her for several hours. Baltimore police released Lakisa and did not press any charges.

Baltimore police say the raid of the home was part of a drug probe. The personal injury lawsuit, however, alleges revenge for the publicity caused by the bike arrest.

Mungo’s family is asking for $40 million in compensatory and punitive damages for false arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery, irreparable personal injury to the boy, and pain and suffering to the family.

Police Brutality
If you or someone you love was injured because a police officer used excessive violence or engaged in some other type of misconduct, you should speak with a Washington D.C. or Maryland personal injury lawyer right away.

Even though law enforcement officers are allowed to use physical force when required in certain situations, they are still obligated to follow the laws and cannot use excessive violence when dealing with individuals and suspects. Unfortunately, many acts of police brutality are ignored.

Police brutality is illegal. As a victim of police violence, you may be able to recover personal injury compensation.

City police are sued for $40 million, Baltimore Sun, November 28, 2007

Boy’s family sues over arrest, Examiner.com, November 27, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Police Brutality in the US, Human Rights Watch

Baltimore County Looks To Stop Dirt Bike Violators, WJZ.com, May 30, 2007

Continue reading "Maryland Family of 7-Year-Old Boy Arrested For Sitting On a Dirt Bike Sues Baltimore Police for $40 Million" »