Charlie Harrison Case settles for $700,000 after police used excessive force in an unjustified traffic stop.
On November 14th, 2012, Charlie Harrison was driving down Pacific Avenue when Michael Oldroyd tried to pull him over. Harrison did not immediately stop, instead he continued to drive between 5 to 10 miles an hour. When Mr. Harrison did pull over, Oldroyd and his fellow officers drew and pointed their guns at Mr. Harrison and began yelling orders at him. Confused and overwhelmed, Mr. Harrison followed directions to step out of his vehicle and as he began walking to Oldroyd, the police officer began beating him in the face. Mr. Harrison was not resisting arrest nor committing a crime when this attack began. After repeatedly punching Mr. Harrison, the police released the K-9 police dog which bite Mr. Harrison on the leg. At this point, Mr. Harrison was on the ground, and the group of police officers began raining punches onto him until he passed out unconscious. Office Oldroyd has been a Police Officer for 14 years, and currently has 91 internal affairs complaints against him, of which 46 are for excessive force.
Mr. Harrison was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. His eyes were bruised and swollen shut, his neck was swollen, he had deep lacerations and his left leg was torn by the K-9 attack. This attack left Mr. Harrison with scarring and both permanent physical and mental trauma. While Harrison plead guilty to eluding police, all other charges against him were dismissed.
The Bonjean Law Firm represented Mr. Harrison in his civil case against the City of Atlanta. Bonjean Law has persistently represented victims of police brutality, hoping to both help victims such as Mr. Harrison and highlight the vast misconduct of police officers. Following only one week of trial, the City decided to settle for $700,000. As Jennifer Bonjean said at the time “We are very pleased to secure some level of justice for our deserving client… But after a week of trial, it is clear that Atlantic City’s police department still has a lot of self-improvement left to do.”