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Hagerstown man sues city, says police wanted a different man
Daily Record Legal Affairs Writer//March 16, 2020
Hagerstown man sues city, says police wanted a different man
A Hagerstown man is suing the city after he claims police arrested him multiple times on a warrant for a different person.
Jamarr Robinson was involved in a dispute at the Maryland Health and Wellness Center in October 2019 and Hagerstown Police Department officers responded, according to the lawsuit. The officers spokes to Robinson, reviewed his identification and the initial dispute was resolved.
Robinson and the officers left and walked to their cars, but the officers demanded to see his identification again and he began to film them, at which time he alleges they placed him under arrest, according to the lawsuit. The officers told Robinson they had a warrant for his arrest.
While being processed, Robinson saw a photograph associated with the warrant, issued in Pennsylvania, and “pleaded with the correctional officers to again review his information, as this photograph clearly did not depict him,” according to the complaint. Robinson was released after it was confirmed he was not the suspect.
Robinson alleges he was arrested two more times on the same warrant.
The lawsuit alleges civil rights violations for the repeated arrests as well as false arrest under Maryland law. Robinson claims the city’s “failure to properly train and otherwise supervise (the officers) resulted in the aforementioned instances wherein the Plaintiff was deprived of his rights.”
Robinson filed suit in state court last month. The city removed the dispute to U.S. District Court Monday. The city filed a motion to dismiss Monday, arguing the officers acted in an objectively reasonable manner and did not violate Robinson’s rights. The motion also claims the named officer and the city have immunity from suit.
Robinson is represented by Rockville solo practitioner Christopher J. Smith. Smith declined to comment Monday.
The case is Jamarr Robinson v. City of Hagerstown et al., 1:20cv00686.
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