Man Files Multi-Million Dollar
Police Brutality Suit Against Officer
Rochelle Ritchie
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore
City man is seeking $5 million after he says a police officer beat him up for
no reason at all—but he may get less than that if he wins.
Rochelle Ritchie has video of
the incident and just how much the man could actually get.
According to the alleged
victims’ attorney, once a judge takes a look at the case, he or she is more
likely to drop the amount to $5 million.
The video tape shows the victim
being punched in the face repeatedly. It shows the moment the man says he was
attacked by an officer with the Baltimore City police department. The man in
red is Kollin Truss and the officer his attorneys say is repeatedly punching
him is Officer Vincent Cosom with Baltimore City police.
“This isn’t Baltimore justice;
this is Baltimore horror,” said attorney Tony Garcia.
In a 15 page complaint filed in circuit court,
the events of that night are laid out from the moment Truss first encountered
the officers to the first blow.
“The officer gets mad our
client is looking down at the ground—not resisting–and the officer does what
they call sucker punching the client,” said attorney Ivan Bates.
But the police department says
Truss disobeyed the officer’s original orders to stop loitering.
In a statement of probable
cause, when Cosom asked him to leave, he says Truss stated `[expletive] you. I
will see you when I get outside.”
Video shows the moment Truss
stepped outside and was approached by Officer Cosom again. Words were exchanged
and a woman tried to pull Truss away.
The officer said Truss and the
woman got into a verbal argument across the street and Truss pushed her three
times. He says he went to make an arrest and that’s when Truss got into a
fighting stance.
Still, Truss’ attorney says the
officer’s actions were excessive.
“Too often we have seen this
pattern before where a person is stripped of their dignity. They are asked to
submit their rights and then charged by the person who assaulted him,” said
Garcia.
Truss was charged with
misdemeanors, including assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
alcohol intoxication. The charges were dropped.
The case was filed at the
state’s attorney’s office but was thrown out.
