Detroit police hit with pair of $10 million lawsuits claiming excessive force
FOX 2 (WJBK) - The Detroit police are being sued for a couple of assaults, alleging excessive force.
"What we are asking for, is $10 million on each individual, it's to set the tone," said attorney Todd Perkins.
The City of Detroit is getting hit with a pair of multi-million dollar lawsuits which allege police violated Ashlee Sims’ and Michael Kennebrew’s Civil Rights.
Kennebrew was working as a bouncer at Minnie's Bar and Grill in downtown Detroit in April when a vice squad officer assaulted him after he pulled away from a female cop who tried to grab him.
"More than just a violation of use of force, it's a criminal act that took place," Perkins said. "To the extent that those people who assisted in the criminal act, there's a conspiracy in play."
On top of that, Kennebrew was jailed for three days as officers sought charges against him for assault.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office shut that effort down.
"I received apologies from officers who were not involved, on behalf of the city candidly," said Kennebrew. "Numerous officers said that is not how they operate in the city."
Perkins says Ashlee Sims deserves justice as well.
Ashlee Sims
She says a police officer cold-cocked her while clearing a crowd at a block party back in August.
Phone video captures the aftermath of it, showing Sims wailing in pain on the ground with police officers standing around her.
"They saw fit to viciously assault a young woman - whose injuries are clear," said Perkins. "What is not so clear, is the fracture in her pelvis."
The DPD officer in Kennebrew’s case was taken off the streets.
"When we saw the video we were shocked and appalled by what we saw on that video, so Chief White directed an immediate investigation," said Chris Graveline, DPD. "Whta could have caused this immediate escalation - on the face of the video we see no justification, but we’ll be asking those questions."
For Perkins, many of them remain unanswered in both cases. He never received information or police reports for them even despite filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the City of Detroit.
Perkins says they are also filing Freedom of Information Act lawsuits against the city as well.
DPD is looking into that and say they are still actively investigating the allegations made by both Kennebrew and Sims.
Michael Kennebrew is under the police officer with the cocked fist in this security video still.