The City of Akron settled a federal lawsuit filed by a man who was punched in the head and arrested during a traffic stop by an officer known by the city’s independent police officer as a “frequent flyer” for use-of-force cases.
Terrell Battles filed the civil rights lawsuit in June of 2025 against the City of Akron and Officer Warren Spragg IV, who repeatedly punched Battles in the head and face after conducting a traffic stop on a car driven by Battles’ brother. An APD supervisor cleared Spragg of any wrongdoing because Battles had been “verbally defiant and uncooperative” when the officer demanded his identification.
Attorneys for Battles and the city told the U.S. District Court in Akron last week that the two sides reached a settlement and a judge granted their motion to dismiss the case on April 14. The city agreed to pay Battles $24,000, said attorney Imokhai Okolo of the Okolo Law Firm, which represented Battles…