Feb 11, 2008 4:52 pm US/Eastern
City Police Officer Accused Of Breaking Teen's Jaw
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Tevin James says a city police sergeant punched him in the jaw for no reason.
CBS
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against a city police sergeant. It clams he broke the jaw of a teenager.
The police department tells
Suzanne Collins internal affairs is investigating.
Tevin James says a city police sergeant punched him in the jaw for no reason. The 16-year-old has trouble explaining because after two weeks his jaw is still wired shut.
"Two fractures on one side of his mouth and one on the opposite side of his mouth. Due to these injuries he had to be in surgery almost eight hours," said Menyonde Lewis, James' mother.
James says he went to the driving school on Baltimore Street to pick up his class completion certificate. After walking a block toward home, he says a car pulled up to the curb and the policeman asked him what he was doing.
"He got out his car, walked around, and stood a couple feet in front of me," said James.
James says he had not done anything wrong and he did not have anything illegal. So he says he told the officer 'go ahead and search me.'
He says that's when he felt the jaw-breaking blow.
James' lawyer says the teen was not arrested. He later pointed out the task force officer and provided the tag number of his vehicle, which was in the parking lot of the Western District police station.
"A complaint was made by my client. A formal complaint. We are aware internal affairs with the police department is also involved. They arrived at the hospital while this young man was there," said James Rhodes, the family's lawyer.
Tevin's mother and lawyer say the Patterson student has never been in any trouble. She says she always told her sons if they did nothing wrong they'd have nothing to worry about. Now she said she was wrong.
"You can't keep going around stereotyping people's children, 'cause all kids aren't bad," said Lewis.
Police confirm they're investigating. The sergeant has not been charged with any crime and is still on duty.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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