Lawsuit Likely Against Ocean City After Violent Teen Vaping Arrests on Boardwalk, Baltimore Civil Rights Attorney Billy Murphy Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Prominent Baltimore civil rights attorney Billy Murphy is now representing two of the teenagers whose violent arrests in Ocean City earlier this month went viral.
At a news conference in Baltimore Tuesday, Murphy said he notified Ocean City he intends to file a civil lawsuit in the case.
"This is a situation that should've been deescalated, and instead they escalated the situation," Murphy said.
Nineteen-year-old Brian Anderson was repeatedly kneed by Ocean City police during his arrest two and a half weeks ago.
"I felt like I was not going to be able to see my family again. I just prayed that God wouldn't call me up to heaven, because I honestly felt like I was going to die," Anderson told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "There's not a day that goes by that doesn't cross my mind. What if the cameras weren't around or what if he would've never stopped kneeing me?"
His attorneys are also asking for criminal charges to be brought against the officers and demanding they be suspended without pay.
Police said the incident started when Anderson and his friends were told not to vape on the boardwalk, which is prohibited, and Anderson was arrested when he failed to show his identification and became disorderly.
Murphy represents both Anderson and 18-year-old Taizier Griffin, who was tased six days prior to Anderson's arrest.
Anderson is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Griffin lives in Cecil County. Murphy wants the criminal charges against both of his clients dropped. He has also been in discussions with the state's attorney.
"We certainly hope that all of these officers are charged with at least assault and unreasonable and unnecessary force," Murphy said.
Police said Griffin refused to stop vaping and threatened to kill officers. He denies making those threats.
His brother, who witnessed the tasing, said police were selectively enforcing their vaping ordinance.
"I was stunned because I had seen many other people vaping on the boardwalk that weekend. I watched in disbelief as the officers pointed their tasers at Taiz, and I watched him put his hands up," said Griffin.
An Ocean City police spokeswoman told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren they were aware of the press conference, but declined to comment due to ongoing investigations.
Earlier this month, the mayor urged against a rush to judgment.
"We will be transparent about the outcome. I'm glad nobody got hurt in any of the situations. You know, I just hope people in the future look at this and see the rest of the video. You're only seeing parts of it. And I hope that when all the video is out there, people have a better understanding of really what occurred," Mayor Rick Meehan said on June 15.
Senator Jill Carter, a Baltimore City Democrat who worked to pass police reform in the general assembly last session, condemned what she saw in the viral arrest videos. She said police "dehumanized" the teens.
Ocean City officials have not given any timetable as to when their investigations into the matter will be complete.
The Office of the Public Defender in Maryland has called for Ocean City police to immediately equip their officers with body-worn cameras.