Teen Forcibly Detained by Police Sues District for $11 Million

An African American teenager who was forcibly detained by D.C. police last year is now suing the city, according to court documents.

Cellphone video showing two officers slam 18-year-old Jason Goolsby to the ground as they try to handcuff him went viral last October. In the video, Goolsby can be seen face down screaming.

According to an investigative report released by police, the officers were responding to a call about three suspicious men near an ATM at the Citibank in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE on Oct. 12, 2015.

A woman had called police because she felt uneasy at an ATM where she encountered Goolsby and his friend.

Cathy Lanier, the police chief at the time, said the police dispatcher made a mistake saying the teens may have been trying to rob people rather than acting suspicious.

The police report found the officers used appropriate force.

According to Goolsby's lawsuit, an officer threatened to use pepper spray on him if he refused to get on the ground. Goolsby, a student at the University of the District of Columbia, ran from officers because he had done nothing wrong and he was scared, the lawsuit said.

No one who was stopped was charged.

Goolsby is suing for $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

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