The family of college freshman
Montre’ Merritt is suing the Waycross Police Department for $12.5 million
following an incident they describe as an example of “excessive force.”
Earlier this year, when Merritt
was still a high school senior, he was stopped by a police officer as he was
pulling into the driveway of his home.
Officer Cory Gay had allegedly
been following Merritt for several blocks before he ultimately turned on his
police lights. Gay exited his vehicle, then placed a gun to Merritt’s head. He
ordered him to the ground and handcuffed him for an alleged “seat belt
violation.”
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Following the incident, Merritt
and his family filed a complaint alleging “excessive force.” Merritt told
reporters last week he “felt like Trayvon Martin” the night of his arrest.
Gay was suspended five days
without pay and ordered to take a “Judgmental Use of Force Training” class,
according to a WJXT-TV report.
In the lawsuit, the family
alleges that the “false arrest” was based on racially profiling the teen and
that Gay’s previous punishment is not enough.
Merritt’s attorney Reginald
Greene issued a statement, according to The Brunswick News’ Michael Hall:
We have zero tolerance for this
kind of activity by the police [...] Levar Jones was shot in South Carolina for
a seat belt violation. Mike Jones was killed and Eric Garner was choked to
death. We can’t allow this to continue to happen, and we will have zero
tolerance.
