Holding Houston Police Accountable for Alleged K9 Attack on Black Motorist
McWashington v. Rodgers et al.
Mr. McWashington, a Black man, was pulled over for slow rolling through stop signs in Houston. Once stopped, he began getting in and out of his car and behaving in a manner indicating he was extremely intoxicated. Our lawsuit alleges that, despite the fact that Mr. McWashington complied with commands to get out of the car – at one point laying on the ground with visibly empty hands – Houston Police Department officers released an out-of-control K9 on him, which mauled and harmed him grievously. Further, the lawsuit alleges that the K9 had just bitten another officer, unprovoked, moments before. CRC brought a Section 1983 lawsuit against the officers involved for their violation of Mr. McWashington’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force.
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