FRESNO -- A man claims that he was falsely arrested and suffered assault and battery by the police.
Brandon Gray filed a complaint on July 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Fresno Division against the City of Oakdale, City of Oakdale Police Department Officers Does 1-10, the City of Modesto, City of Modesto Police Department Officers Does 11-20, County of Stanislaus, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Deputies Does 21-30, California Highway Patrol Officers 31-40 and Does 41-100 for civil right violations, assault and battery, false arrest and false imprisonment and negligence.
According to the complaint, on June 3, 2020, Gray, an African American young man, was exercising his Free Speech rights under the California and U.S. constitutions, participating to raise awareness for social justice and the wrongful killing of George Floyd and others.
At the rally, Gray was a passenger in a vehicle that was directed by a to-be-identified police officer to make a turn and pull over right in front of an angry mob of counter-protesters, where Gray then was assaulted by one of them, the suit says. Gray alleges he tried to escape the assault and was subjected to excessive force by an officer, then falsely arrested and spent 4-5 hours is custody.
Gray seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys fees and cost of suit and other damages. Gray is represented by Sanjay S. Schmidt of Law Office of Sanjay S. Schmidt and The Bogan Law Firm, APC.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California Fresno Division case number 1:21-cv-01086-NONE-BAM