BATON ROUGE -- A minor male is suing the police department after allegedly being wrongfully detained and arrested with excessive use of unnecessary force.
Tenesha Cannon, individually and on behalf of her minor son, D.C., filed a complaint on July 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against the City of Baton Rouge, Murphy J. Paul, Jr., in his official capacity of Chief of Police, the Baton Rouge Police Department and multiple individual officers.
According to the complaint, on July 6, 2020, D.C. was the passenger in a vehicle when Officer Travis Williams, working overtime on a BRPD seatbelt enforcement assignment near the 2400 block of Fairfield Avenue, attempted to stop a red Toyota Corolla for a traffic stop.
The driver of the vehicle, Kamani Smith, did not stop and led the police on a chase. Police were able to apprehend the vehicle after a short chase. Both Smith and D.C. got out the vehicle and complied with all requests of the officers, and D.C. was unarmed and posed no heat during the time of the incident, the suit claims.
Officer Williams and Officer Chandler allegedly pointed their guns at D.C. and ordered him to lay on the ground as they approached. Officer Chandler then allegedly used his right hand to point his gun at terrified, teenage D.C. at very close range after D.C. was laying on his stomach as requested.
Officer Alvarez allegedly then placed his left knee on the back of D.C.’s neck as he grabbed and pulled D.C.’s left wrist behind his back. Alvarez’ right knee was on the pavement next to D.C.’s head, the suit says. Three armed officers allegedly forcefully handcuffed 16-year-old D.C., who alleges that the officers broke protocol, used excessive force and were in the wrong because he complied and was not threat to the officers at any time.
Cannon, on behalf of D.C., seeks compensatory damages, special damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees and cost of suit. Cannon and D.C. are represented by Christopher J. Murell of Unglesby Law Firm.
U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana case number 3:21-cv-00389-JWD-RLB