MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A man in Alabama filed a $20 million federal civil rights lawsuit on Tuesday, saying a police officer repeatedly used a Taser on him while he was detained and compliant in handcuffs.
A video of the meeting appears to show Micah Washington, 25, with police. The claim states that he was fixing a flat tire near his aunt’s house in Pickens County, Alabama when a police officer from Reform came up to him and his friend.
There have been at least three fatal encounters with law enforcement in Pickens County in recent years, including the case of New Orleans Saints defensive end Glenn Foster Jr., who was found dead in the back of a law enforcement car in December 2021. Several months ago, Michael Broady Jr. died after police reportedly beat and shocked him while he was handcuffed, according to a lawsuit from his sister. In April 2021, the family of Wallace Wilder, a Black man, sued the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department because he was shot by police in his apartment in 2019.
The tape of Washington’s arrest was shared a lot in December. The video starts with Washington already in handcuffs, and he looks like he’s telling Officer Dana Elmore that he has a gun. Elmore grabs it and then uses a Taser on Washington’s back.
“Do you want it back?” In the video, Elmore seems to say something before swearing at Washington and telling him to be quiet.
Washington mentioned in an interview that the experience left him scared for his life whenever he saw cops.
“I don’t want to feel scared or anything, but that’s what I think of first,” Washington said.
The case filed on Tuesday claims that Elmore and her husband, former Pickens County Deputy Jody Elmore, used too much force, showed a lack of concern, wrongfully prosecuted someone, and unlawfully held someone. The city of Reform is included as a defendant.
The claimants are Washington’s 16-year-old brother, who recorded the viral video, and Jacorien Henry, the friend who was riding in the car with Washington.
According to his lawyer, Kristen Gochett, the film was very important in Washington’s decision to file the lawsuit.
“Micah Washington’s situation is typical,” said Gochett. “But it doesn’t always get recorded.”
Change. Mayor Melody Davis and Police Chief Richard Black announced that Dana Elmore had been put on unpaid leave after the incident. Jody Elmore is no longer with the sheriff’s department.
Court records did not show that either of the Elmores had a lawyer. On Wednesday morning, calls were left for the city of Reform and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department asking for comments.
Washington was arrested for blocking government work, resisting arrest, and having marijuana, according to the police records. He is waiting for the grand jury’s ruling in the case. His lawyers claimed in the lawsuit that one of the cops who responded put the marijuana in his car.
Richard Rice, a civil rights lawyer from Birmingham, represents Washington and the families of two men who died after interactions with the police. He thinks that Washington’s arrest is part of a bigger issue in the community.
“These events are not one-time occurrences.” “They show a worrying pattern of bad behavior,” Rice said.
Leave a Comment