The Law Office of C. Justin Brown won a $50,000 jury verdict in Baltimore City for a 13-year-old boy who alleged that he was beaten by police, falsely arrested and then illegally detained.
The Jury found that Baltimore City Police Officer Dale Mattingly, Jr., falsely arrested, falsely imprisoned, and violated the constitutional rights of the Client.
The Client alleged a story that is all to familiar in Baltimore: He was walking down the street, doing nothing wrong, when the police called him over to “talk to him.” He was a young kid who had some previous bad experiences with police. He got scared and ran. Mattingly then chased him down and caught up with him when he tried to climb a chain-link fence. According to the Client, Mattingly pulled him down from the fence, slammed him to the ground, and got on top of him. Then he started punching him in the face.
Initially the police appeared to have let the kid go when they returned him to his grandmother’s house. However, after the kid’s mother saw his injuries, and a call went out for an ambulance, Officer Mattingly and others returned to the scene, this time to arrest the young boy. They claimed he had been carrying a two-foot-tall marijuana plant when the initially saw him on the street.
The police followed the kid to the hospital, and cuffed him to his stretcher. Then, officer Mattingly remained in the hospital treating room with him for five hours while he received treatment.
The police then transported him to Juvenile Booking, where he was released without charges.
The Jury returned the verdict Monday morning after a week-long trial.
Click HERE to read more in the Baltimore Sun.
