Black Teen Sues Warren Police for $20M for Beating and Stomping Him to Make Arrest after Traffic Stop

From [HERE] Attorneys for a Black teenager have filed a $20 million federal lawsuit against the city of Warren, its police department and six officers after the teen was beaten, stomped on, bloodied and injured by arresting officers during a June traffic stop.

The officers arrested Tyler Wade, who was 17 at the time, on June 2 after they pursued a stolen car he was driving through several cities starting in Warren. Body camera footage shows the stop and arrest, including multiple officers pulling the teen from a white sedan and striking him repeatedly.

The teen's attorney, James King, said he believes race played a role in the incident and noted it appears all but one of the officers involved are White.

"What troubles me the most is that people in the city of Warren have committed far worse crimes than what Tyler was alleged of committing," King said. "Unfortunately, they don't look like Tyler, so they're not treated the same way upon arrest."

Wade, a Detroit resident, claims he did not know the car was stolen. At one point, the vehicle stalled on West Woodward Heights Boulevard and North Chrysler Drive in Hazel Park.

"The officer approaches, points the gun at Tyler, orders him to raise his hands and you'll see Tyler doing exactly that. He has his hands raised," said King, who is with the Cochran Firm in Detroit. "When he tries to turn the car off, the officer slaps his hands and tells him again not to move so Tyler did exactly that, didn't move."

Officers pulled Wade from the driver's seat from the passenger side and onto the ground.

"Once he's on the ground was when the beating starts," King said during a Wednesday interview with The Detroit News at his law office in downtown Detroit.

The video shows an officer punching Wade in the head and face nine times. He gets kicked in the back, stomped on and punched in the face again.

"All you hear Tyler saying is 'I'm not resisting, I'm putting my hands up,' and he keeps asking 'Why are you hitting me?' over and over again," King said.

Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told WJBK-TV (Channel 2) in June that the department's use-of-force policy had been violated and an officer was given a "lengthy suspension" after an internal affairs division investigation.

Dwyer declined to comment on the lawsuit Wednesday but said there's “no question in my mind” that Wade was resisting officers.

Six officers are named in the lawsuit, listed only by their last names and their badge numbers.

In the body camera footage, one officer can be heard saying "all right" repeatedly as he attempts to handcuff Wade.

"The force that was used against him was unnecessary. It was excessive and it was unreasonable," King said.

Wade had a concussion, his braces were knocked out, blood vessels in his eye were ruptured and he has permanent scarring, headaches and blurred vision, his attorney said. Several of the injuries, including those to his mouth and eye, may require surgery in the future, King said.

"I don't remember that much about the situation because it was like, I blacked out during that moment when it happened," Wade said. "It's been kind of hard for me to remember things in general after the situation happened."

Wade was taken to a hospital after the arrest and more body camera footage shows an officer at the scene questioned by an emergency medical technician. The EMT asked an officer how Wade received the injuries to his face; the officer responded: "We did have to put him to the ground because he was resisting. ... His face may or may not have scraped the ground."

Wade had no criminal history at the time of the incident. The teenager pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property and fleeing from the authorities, which is not an admission of guilt,King told The News. He received probation in juvenile court and returned home, King said.

Wade was given a probationary sentence and has been taking it "one day at a time" at home since the incident.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of gross negligence; assault and battery; violating Wade's constitutional rights; and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. Besides the monetary damages, the suit seeks "declaratory, equitable, and/or injunctive relief, including, but not limited to implementation of institutional reform and measures of accountability."

"What happened to Tyler was a clear violation of the Constitution. The force that was used against him was unnecessary, it was excessive and it was unreasonable," King said. "Even though we can't undo the harm that's been done, maybe we can make them whole again in the form of monetary damages."

King said Wade is lucky they have footage so it isn't his word against the officers'.

"Fortunately, in this event and in this matter, we have body cam, and the body cam showed exactly what happened," King said. "To see a grown man attack a child like that is troubling."

Wednesday was the first time Wade and his mother, Bianca, had watched the entire footage, which was displayed during a press conference at the Detroit law office. Tyler Wade said he has been traumatized and is now afraid of police.

"I don't like leaving the house anymore," Wade said. "I still haven't recovered. I don't know if I'll ever recover, honestly."

A bystander recorded the arrest from across the street, and the footage was widely circulated on social media in the weeks following the arrest. Bianca Wade didn't learn about what happened to her son until she was sent the bystander's video later that day. Her first reaction was: "Where's my son?"

"This was my first time seeing it up close, and it's hard to watch because this is your baby," she said.

Months after the incident, the Wade family said they have received no apology from the Warren Police Department. [MORE]