BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A judge in Alabama has thrown out the criminal case against Marvin Long, a Black man who was brutally attacked by police officers and a K9 unit in front of his own home in 2021. The ruling, which came after the judge reviewed body camera footage of the incident, underscores what Long’s attorneys have argued all along: their client had committed no crime and was the victim of an egregious abuse of power.
The body camera footage, which surfaced in 2023, shows Long, then 53, standing outside his home, unarmed, ordering officers to leave his property. Instead of complying, they wrestled him to the ground and released a police dog on him. In the video, officers can be heard encouraging the K9 handler to escalate the attack, shouting, “Bite him! Bite him! Get him! Good!” The footage spread widely online, sparking outrage and renewed scrutiny of the Sheffield Police Department’s practices.
Long was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, but on Wednesday, a judge ruled that the state had failed to meet its burden of proof. “The judge watched the video and then he issued a ruling,” Long’s attorney Tony Hughes said. “It’s the right result.” Long’s legal team, including attorney Jeff Redcross, said their client was overwhelmed with relief upon hearing the ruling, visibly shaking with emotion in the courtroom.
With the criminal charges dismissed, Long is now focusing on his federal lawsuit against the officers involved, as well as the City of Sheffield. He is being represented by civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Roderick Van Daniel, known for their work in similar high-profile cases, including that of Pastor Michael Jennings, who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers, and Jawan Dallas, an unarmed Black man who died after being tased by Mobile police officers.
“This is one of the most egregious violations I have ever seen,” Long’s attorneys said in a statement. “These officers had no right to even be on his property, let alone sic a police dog on him and celebrate it. If they could do this to him, without any fear of repercussions, they could do it to anyone.”
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