Thurman King, a 55-year-old Black man, was driving from work to his home in Rockford, Michigan, a predominantly white suburb of Grand Rapids, late one night in March 2019.
When he got about a half block from home, he noticed a police car with its lights flashing behind him. He pulled into his driveway and got out of his car to ask why he was being stopped.
Moments later, King was tackled, handcuffed and arrested, according to a federal lawsuit he recently filed seeking monetary damages for what he says was an unwarranted arrest.
Grand Rapids attorney Stephen Drew lodged the lawsuit March 19 on King’s behalf in the U.S. District Court’s Western Michigan district. King is suing the city of Rockford and the Rockford Department of Public Safety. Zachary Abbate and Jason Bradley, the two officers who allegedly abused him, are also listed as defendants in the complaint.
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The lawsuit alleges the two officers violated King’s constitutional rights by arresting him for unsubstantiated traffic violations and falsely incarcerating him without probable cause. The suit goes on to allege Bradley and Abbate assaulted and battered King. His attorneys assert that the city of Rockford and its consolidated public safety agency are liable for the officers’ actions and contends each of the defendants denied King due process.
“Stopping someone just because you can, and putting information in a police report about something that is not accurate — that he ran through a stop sign — leads to difficulties that should not have to occur to someone just because they’re driving while black trying to get home,” Drew told Atlanta Black Star. “As black men, myself included, my sons included, we’ve all had times where we have been stopped when there has been no reason.”
Drew argued that because of their negligence in falsely arresting King, Bradley and Abbate shouldn’t be afforded statutory immunity, a legal roadblock that, in many instances, shields state and local government officials from being sued civilly for actions they take while performing their official duties.
Abbate is no longer a Rockford police officer. Bradley, however, still serves on the force, the officers’ attorney Michael Borgen told Wood TV News Channel 8.
In a statement to News 8, Rockford city officials denied the claims in King’s lawsuit.
“While we do not intend to try this case in the court of public opinion, we disagree strongly with the claims as presented here. We intend to present a vigorous defense in this matter,” the statement said.
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