A teen who was stopped for jaywalking on Queen Anne has filed a lawsuit against Seattle Police and the city claiming he was beaten during the arrest. Joey Wilson, who was 17 at the time, was talking on his cell phone as he crossed the 600 block of W. Smith Street in July of last year. According to the lawsuit, an officer stopped him and then grabbed him by the arm when he called a family friend on the cell phone.
Photo of Joey Wilson provided to Queen Anne View by his attorney Alisa Brodkowitz.
The family friend came to the scene and videotaped the rest of the incident. That video shows three officers arresting the teen who says he suffered a broken nose and concussion. During a news conference today, the teen’s mother said her son is mentally disabled and has been in special education his entire life. The teen also read from a prepared statement.
“Before this I trusted the police. Now I am afraid they will hurt me again,” said Joey Wilson.
We spoke with the teen’s attorney, who also tells us the lawsuit includes a second incident in November of last year when an officer present during the first arrest allegedly confronted Wilson and threw him to the ground before arresting him again. Seattle Police spokeswoman Renee Witt tells our partners at the Seattle Times that the officers named in the lawsuit were all exonerated by the department’s Office of Professional Accountability. The lawsuit does not list a money amount for damages.
KING 5 obtained a copy of the first videotaped arrest which you can see here.