The law enforcement agencies in Missouri—including the Ferguson Police Department—who oversaw Michael Brown protests in the St. Louis suburb have been sued for $40 million. Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9.
According to the Reuters, the suit was filed on the behalf of six people who were arrested for refusal to disperse between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13. Specifically, it seeks damages for violating their civil rights. One plaintiff, identified as Tracey Wright, says she and her 17-year-old son were accosted by Ferguson Police Officer Justin Cosma and arrested in a McDonalds:
One of the plaintiffs alleges she and her son were in a McDonald's restaurant when several police officers with rifles ordered them out. According to the suit, an officer threw her to the ground and handcuffed her, with she and her son both arrested.
Dewayne Matthews alleges that he was shot with rubber bullets and beaten by police while trying to visit his mother:
Another plaintiff alleges he was trying to visit his mother in Ferguson when several police officers in military uniforms in her neighborhood shot him with rubber bullets. When he fell over, he was beaten and sprayed with pepper spray, the lawsuit says.
Theophilus Green and Damon Coleman claim they were hit with rubber bullets and tear gas while protesting peacefully, and Kerry White says officers took his camera and broke his memory card while he was filming the protests.
The Wall Street Journal adds that, in the future, additional plaintiffs might be involved in the suit.
[via Reuters and Wall Street Journal]
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