A black man in Michigan is pursuing a $ 10 million civil rights lawsuit against a Detroit suburban police department and one of its officers for alleged wrongful imprisonment while walking down a commercial street.
According to the ad, white Keego Harbor officer Richard Lindquist called Brian Chaney, 48, a “dog” and held him for more than 20 minutes in the early morning of July 14th. Chaney said he was able to get out of the situation by asking, “What are you going to do next, put your knee on my neck?”
“I would hope it was a reality check for these officials,” Chaney told reporters on Wednesday. “But I hate that I had to say that. At this point I was from fear and excitement to just being really angry. I am tied up like an animal when I go for a walk and drink my coffee. “
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Detroit on Monday and also alleges that it violates due process. It names Lindquist and the Keego Harbor Police Department as defendants.
More coverage from the Associated Press can be found below.
One black man claims he was wrongly arrested by a police officer while walking in the suburbs of Detroit and called a “dog”. This photo shows a courtroom in the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse in Detroit on August 23, 2021.
Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison last month for the murder of George Floyd, a black man, in May 2020. The cell phone video showed Chauvin pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck as the man pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
Chaney said he went for a walk in Keego Harbor, about 50 kilometers northwest of Detroit, to exercise after dropping his two teenage sons off to weight training at a gym.
The lawsuit states that Lindquist drove behind Chaney in a police vehicle and yelled, “Hands out of your pocket!”
According to the lawsuit, Lindquist Chaney said, “I’m going to search you because you look like you have a gun and you wanted to break into cars.” Chaney told reporters he just saw one more car parked in front of a coffee shop further up the street.
“When I first saw him, I ignored him. I was just out for a walk, ”Chaney told reporters. “I’m just in a good mood. I’m in a good room. It didn’t cause fear at first. It caused fear when he screamed behind me and I didn’t know he was stopping behind me. I have headphones on. I don’t know what.” he says to me. He yells at me and runs back to his car. I was scared of getting shot. I just didn’t know. “
Chaney, a licensed psychotherapist and certified hypnotherapist who lives in Farmington Hills, said Lindquist stabbed him in the back and hit the patrol car, injuring his groin. His wrist was also injured from the handcuffs, he said.
Chaney said Lindquist called him a “dog” and that the officer and others who came to replace him never explained why he was arrested.
When he asked if Lindquist would put a knee on his neck, the officers removed the handcuffs and said, “You can go,” Chaney said.
Chaney’s attorney Leonard Mungo said the lawsuit is not only aimed at damages, but is intended to discourage the conduct alleged in the lawsuit.
“These cities have to put up with the fact that their men and women who are out there are doing jobs that require far more training, care and nutrition than these departments provide these ladies and gentlemen,” Mungo said.
The Associated Press couldn’t find a phone number for Lindquist on Wednesday, but a reporter left voicemails asking for comments from the city and police.
In 2017, one of Chaney’s sons said he was physically forced from his chair during the pledge of allegiance to his school in the Farmington district. Stone Chaney, then an 11-year-old sixth grader, said he was making a vow to God and family – not a flag – and had skipped attending since second grade. The teacher was on leave while the county investigated the incident.
