Washington police have been trying to find a white man with grey hair suspected of homicide driving a stolen SUV – once they noticed a Black man with an afro driving together with his household of their SUV and decided he “matched the outline.”
With out warning, the Spokane cops first rammed Kershawn Grigsby’s automotive with a patrol automotive to power it to cease, then a number of cops surrounded the SUV with their weapons drawn, yanking doorways open as they terrorized an harmless household, threatening to kill the 40-year-old father.
“The kids screamed, believing they’d watch their father die — or die themselves,” states the lawsuit filed by Grigsby in federal courtroom on October 8.
“They instructed Mr. Grigsby’s kids he was needed for homicide, handcuffed him at gunpoint, and searched the household automotive with out consent.”
After realizing that they had stopped the mistaken man, the cops drove off, leaving Grigsby and his household with a broken automobile, a Cadillac Escalade with a Washington license plate variety of CFA9696.
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The white man that they had been in search of, Shannon Quattlebaum, described to be in his 50s or 60s, was additionally driving a Cadillac Escalade – however with a Washington license plate variety of CJF9999.
In response to the declare:
“Discovering nothing on which to cost Mr. Grigsby, they drove away, leaving the household with a broken automobile and exhibiting no concern for whether or not it was secure to drive.
One physique digicam captured this shrugging response: “I obtained the partial as a result of I used to be driving by… It’s what it’s. Sh_t occurs.”
Spokane police officer Connor Tangeman tried to color himself because the sufferer as the youngsters screamed in terror, writing the next in his report, in accordance with the declare.
There have been a number of individuals within the again seats of the Cadillac. Everybody within the Cadillac was noncompliant and screaming at me.
I instructed them this Cadillac was reported stolen and seen leaving the scene of a murder. I continued to inform individuals to maintain their fingers up.
The driving force and passenger cursed at me telling me we had the mistaken automobile.
Tangerman is listed as a defendant together with Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl, Sgt. Trevor Nollmeyer and Cpl. Gregory Thompson together with about ten John Does, cops who haven’t but been recognized.
The lawsuit filed by Washington lawyer Marcus Sweetser accuses them of violating the household’s Fourth Modification via illegal seizure, extreme power and illegal search.
‘Frumpy Skinny White Man’
On the morning of July 21, 2024, Spokane murder detectives responded to a homicide scene the place the suspect was described as a “frumpy-skinny white male” about six ft tall in his 50s who was seen leaving the homicide scene in a 2007 Cadillac Escalade.
4 days later, police noticed Grigsby driving a white Cadillac Escalade with a license plate that partially matched the one pushed by the homicide suspect, and commenced following him for a number of blocks for about 5 minutes, by no means realizing it was not a full license plate match.
Grigsby, in the meantime, had no thought he was being adopted by police, dropping his son off for soccer follow earlier than heading house with the remainder of the household.
It was solely after they rammed his automotive and threatened to kill him in entrance of his youngsters did one cop understand that they had stopped the mistaken automotive. However that didn’t deter them.
The Escalade’s clearly seen license plate—CFA9696—was recorded on a number of officer sprint and body-worn cameras, but officers continued with the detention.
One officer famous: “It was not the right automobile.” (Mackabee Rpt.)
Officer Tangeman started shouting expletives and threatening to shoot if passengers didn’t exit the automobile.
Officers surrounded the Grigsby automobile with marked and unmarked patrol vehicles.
Officers drew their loaded firearms and pointed them at Mr. Grigsby and the minor passengers.
Regardless of the mismatch of the license plate and pores and skin tone, the cops nonetheless weren’t satisfied he was not the assassin, in order that they ordered him out at gunpoint and instructed him to stroll backward in direction of them.
Grigsby was carrying shorts, flip flops and a brace for his damaged foot, so he was not strolling quick sufficient for the cops who grew to become impatient, accusing him of being “noncompliant.” Then they searched his automotive with out consent.
Grigsby inspired the cops to verify his identification to hopefully cut back their suspicions he was not the frumpy-skinny white male in his 50s, however when the cops pulled out his pockets they positioned it in a ziplock bag with out bothering to verify his identification.
And as extra cops arrived with a number of sharp-eyed officers stating the license plates didn’t match, two cops responded by saying Grigsby will need to have modified the license plates.
After it lastly dawned on them that they had stopped the mistaken man, they eliminated {the handcuffs} and allowed him to be on his method.
“For the Grigsby household, the phobia of that day lives with them,” the lawsuit states. “Minor C.C., who till then dreamed of being a police officer, now fears them.”
