FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joseph Greenwald & Laake, P.A.
Timothy Maloney; TMaloney@jgllaw.com
Nicholas Bernard; NBernard@jgllaw.com
Phone: 301-220-2200
VIDEO AND LAWSUIT INCLUDED
JGL Files Lawsuit in Anne Arundel Police Kneeling Case
GREENBELT, MD., July 17, 2020 — Joseph Greenwald & Laake has filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Md., on behalf of Daniel Jarrells, an young African-American man who, in February 2019, was forced out of his car at gunpoint and slammed to the ground by Anne Arundel county police officers, including one officer who violently shoved his knee into Mr. Jarrell’s neck and then kneeled on his neck for several minutes, a potentially lethal use of force. (Video here)
Jarrells’ lawsuit, filed on July 16, 2020, names three Anne Arundel County police officers, as well as the county government, as defendants, and seeks compensatory damages for excessive force, assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, and violation of his constitutional rights. A copy of the complaint is attached and can also be found online here.
In addition to compensatory damages, the lawsuit asks that Anne Arundel County be ordered to stop its practice of permitting officers to put their knees on the necks of arrestees, to stop police officers from using potentially lethal force on arrested people unless necessary to protect life, and to ban police officers from restraining arrested people in such a way that their airways can be blocked. (Video here)
“The officers’ violent and dangerous actions toward Daniel were not justified by any police or public safety necessity,” the complaint says. The complaint notes that police had no legitimate reason to pull over Jarrells and that all charges against him were dropped.
The complaint states: “As Daniel lay on the ground with Detective [Daniel] Reynolds’s knee on his neck, he attempted to shift his weight so that he could lie flat on his stomach instead of partially on his side, due to the discomfort that the restraint was causing. He also called out to his mother, telling her that the Detectives had pulled their guns on him for no reason. When Daniel shifted, Detective Reynolds responded by grabbing Daniel’s head and then slamming his knee into the back of Daniel’s neck. Detective Reynolds’s knee strike on Daniel’s neck was an excessive use of force, intended to inflict punishment and pain and not for any legitimate law enforcement purpose,” the complaint says.
After being arrested, Jarrells was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and, after a police dog found a small quantity of CBD oil with a THC content of less than one-half of one percent in the car, possession of a controlled dangerous substance. All charges were later dismissed by the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney.
Jarrells is being represented by Timothy F. Maloney and Nicholas Bernard at Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A.
Mr. Maloney said, “No citizen should be treated by police officers as Daniel Jarrells was on that day. Mr. Jarrells is bringing this suit to bring an end to the use of kneeling and other potentially lethal police practices in Anne Arundel County.”
About Joseph Greenwald & Laake
For more than 50 years, Joseph Greenwald & Laake has represented individuals and businesses in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
