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A Black teen was allegedly beaten with a baton after being falsely accused of tripping an Ohio cop at a shopping mall.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Theodore Jenkins Jr., the teen's father, filed a lawsuit alleging that Cleveland police used excessive force against his son during an incident at Tower City last month.
The lawsuit states that Cleveland police officers found a female cop on the ground as they were responding to a report of a disturbance at the shopping mall. The responding officers believed the woman was tripped by the teen, who allegedly had no involvement in the disturbance. Despite posing no threat to authorities, an unidentified Cleveland police officer hit the teen in the head with a baton.
The female officer later informed the response team that they had misheard her statements, and the teen didn't trip her, according to the lawsuit.
Following the incident, the teen suffered a concussion and “various musculoskeletal injuries.”
“Plaintiff’s head injury has caused him to not be able to fully participate in his academics and his athletics,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff also suffered mental and emotional injury due to this traumatic event, as he is suffering from a traumatic brain injury.”
The suit lists Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb as defendants, accusing them of fostering a culture of violence against Black people within the department.
“This widespread tolerance of excessive force by police officers constituted a municipal policy, practice, or custom and led to Plaintiff’s assault and injury,” the suit states.
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