A female cop in Ohio tripped and fell on the ground during a “disturbance” at a Cleveland shopping mall last month, prompting a male cop to bash a Black teen over the head who had nothing to do with the disturbance, according to a lawsuit filed last week.
The lawsuit was filed by Theodore Jenkins Jr., the father of the boy who is not named in the lawsuit, accusing Cleveland police of not only using excessive force against the teen but also maintaining a long-established pattern of using excessive force against Black people, violating their Fourth and 14th Amendment rights.
While the lawsuit does not name the female cop who tripped or the male cop who beat the teen with a baton, it lists as defendants Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, accusing them of promoting a culture of violence within the police department.
“First, this case alleges that Defendant Cleveland Police Department and Defendant John Doe, Cleveland Police Officer used excessive force against Plaintiff, causing substantial injury,” the claim states…