Police Brutality

Anne Arundel County Sued for Wrongful Death of Naked Man Shot by Cop

July 7, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

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

May 29, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

Maryland State Police and Three Maryland Counties Sued For Veteran’s Wrongful Death

April 9, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

Annapolis Sued for Police Brutality

March 31, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

Baltimore Police Officer Suspended Over YouTube Video Showing Him Manhandling Teenager

February 14, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

Baltimore Police Officer Named in $100 Million Injury Lawsuit

January 31, 2008 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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

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

November 28, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

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