The Justice Department announced in March it found Louisville police engaged in a pattern of violating rights and bias against Blacks.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A 21-year-old Black man has filed a lawsuit accusing officers in the embattled police department of Kentucky’s largest city of wrongful arrest and excessive force.
Officers with the
At the time of the arrest, police said in a citation that Benedict was observed walking in the proximity of the stolen vehicle and that a witness saw him driving the vehicle before officers arrived. Another witness contradicted the first during a preliminary hearing, and a grand jury declined to indict Benedict. The charges were dismissed.
The U.S. Justice Department announced in March it found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against Black people, following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.
The Justice Department report said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants.
A consent decree between the Justice Department and Louisville Police, which would allow a federal judge to oversee policing reforms, has not been finalized.
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The post Jahmael Benedict sues Louisville police department, alleges wrongful arrest, excessive force appeared first on TheGrio.
