Evidence from a police body camera convinced a Wayne County jury to award a Romulus man $9.3 million as compensation for violations of his constitutional rights during his 2018 arrest by a Dearborn police officer.
Luther Gonzales-Hall, now 25, told members of the jury in his lawsuit charging a violation of his constitutional rights that he suffered “injuries that will never completely heal even though I did nothing wrong. I just asked for directions.” Gonzales Hall said he continues to suffer nightmares about being arrested and beaten by police. Attorney Azzam Elder represented Gonzales-Hall in his lawsuit filed against the City of Dearborn, the Dearborn Police Department and several police officers. In addition to the violation of his constitutional rights, the lawsuit charged false imprisonment, arrest, battery - and the wrongful charging of a crime.
Body camera footage from the arrest in 2018 was shown to the jury members during the seven-day trial. Gonzales-Hall, who said he got lost while riding his bike home from visiting a friend, is shown asking the police officer for directions. Following the officer's response, Gonzales-Hall entered a nearby White Castle restaurant and again asked for directions to ensure, he told the jury, that the instructions from the officer were correct.
The officer's body camera footage shows an almost immediate confrontation between the officer who enters the restaurant and demands to know what Gonzales-Hall is doing. When Gonzales-Hall responds he is attempting to clarify the directions the officer provided, the officer tells him to “hold tight.” Gonzales-Hall responds “thank you” and then begins to leave from a different restaurant exit. On the tape of the encounter, the officer intercepts Gonzales-Hall in the parking lot and a violent physical confrontation ensues during which Gonzales-Hall is heard repeatedly asking the officer what he did wrong and apologizing. “I was just asking for directions, bro,” Gonzales-Hall is heard shouting. As the physical encounter continues, Gonzales-Hall is heard repeatedly saying “you're choking me.”
According to his attorney, Gonzales-Hall suffered severe injuries, including six fractures in his foot which resulted in a permanent limp. His injuries have required several surgeries and fusions, Elder said. The charges made against Gonzales-Hall during the arrest were subsequently dismissed as without probable cause, according to Elder. The attorney said the evidence provided by the video of the encounter demonstrated the reality of the arrest to the jury.
“The only time a citizen has a real voice is when there's a video camera, and that's what's scary,” Elder said. “(The bodycam) protects good police officers and also protects the citizen's rights.”
