Police Brutality Suit Asks for $19 Million
Six Ocean City, Maryland Police Department officers, as well as the City, are being sued for $18.6 million in damages for police brutality. Demar Leonard and Brandon Bishop have filed a 93-count civil lawsuit alleging assault, battery, excessive force, and false imprisonment.
According to the Maryland Coast Dispatch, the plaintiffs say the officers confronted them in front of a 7-Eleven store, questioning them about a shoplifting spree at a nearby CVS Drugstore. Questioning escalated into a physical alteration, resulting in the arrest of the boys who were charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
According to police reports, the officers asked the boys for identification. When Leonard ignored several orders to keep his hands out of his pockets the officers attempted to restrain him, after which the violence ensued.
The lawsuit alleges Leonard was “approached from behind and choked, yanked to the ground and thrown into the side of a paddy wagon before four officer piled on top of him, pushing him into the ground and pulling at his limbs.” According to court documents, when the Leonard’s parents picked him up after booking, they allegedly found he had been badly beaten and required medical attention. Leonard’s family pursued brutality charges against the officers, but an internal investigation amounted to nothing.
Leonard was convicted of two counts of assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. His conviction was overturned on appeal.