Civil Rights Corps and Nii Amaa Ollennu of NO Law Firm File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Houston Police Department for Gruesome Police Dog Attack on Black Motorist

The lawsuit alleges HPD officers sicced their out-of-control and unpredictable police dog on a Black motorist, mauling and permanently damaging his arm.

Houston, TX– On June 6, 2024, Civil Rights Corps (CRC) and attorney Nii Amaa Ollennu filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against 9 Houston Police Department (HPD) Officers on behalf of Houston resident Brandon McWashington. The complaint alleges that Defendant HPD Officers used their police dog to brutalize, maul and permanently damage Mr. McWashington’s arm during a routine traffic stop. The complaint raises claims of excessive force via a police dog and the unjustifiable pointing of lethal duty weapons, and claims against bystander officers who failed to intervene as they watched their police dog tear Mr. McWashington apart.

According to the complaint, Defendant Solis pulled Mr. McWashington over for a suspected DWI and for slow rolling through stop signs. The complaint states that once Mr. McWashington stopped, instead of conducting a routine investigatory traffic stop, Defendants quickly resorted to pointing their lethal duty weapons at him–including an AR-15 rifle–while shouting out conflicting commands. The complaint explains they further escalated by calling for police dog backup, waiting for 20 minutes, despite expressing that Mr. McWashington was having difficulty exiting his car on his own and may need help. Yet as the complaint alleges, Defendants offered no help. The complaint states Mr. McWashington sat completely still as Defendant Rodgers unleashed his out-of-control police dog Rico on him who had just moments before bitten a fellow HPD Officer: Defendant Curtis. The complaint details how Defendants watched as K9 Rico sank his teeth into Mr. McWashington’s left forearm, bite, thrash his head, and hold onto a nonresistant Mr. McWashington for up to one minute as he lay still face down on the ground. Per the complaint, K9 Rico’s bite tore through tendons, flesh and down to the bone, requiring surgery, and leaving Mr. McWashington with permanent nerve damage and scarring. As the complaint states, Defendants even stated Mr. McWashington’s injuries were some of the worst they had seen.

Mr. McWashington is not the first Black man in Houston to be attacked by a police dog. Despite the Black population only comprising 22.4% in Houston, per HPD’s own data obtained through Public Information Act requests, from January 2021 to August 2023, 52% of people that HPD officers commanded their K9s to attack were Black men. Of these assaults, nearly half (49%) were for non-violent offenses, while 24.8% of the Black men mauled were not even charged with a new criminal offense of any kind.

Bina Ahmad, Senior Staff Attorney at CRC, said, “According to historians, this cruel and racist practice of subjecting people to out-of-control police dog maulings has a direct line to the history of dogs bred and groomed to maul enslaved Black people. It is also inhumane to force these dogs to be police weapons when they are sentient beings who have no choice.”  Brittany Francis, leader of CRC’s police accountability work, and a Deputy Director of Litigation, said, “There is no place in a functional, humane society for ‘peace officers’ to order an animal to tear apart a human being and call it justice, especially in the face of zero physical resistance. Mr. McWashington’s dignity and constitutional rights were violated, and he deserved better. All Houstonians do.” Cassidy Kristal-Cohen, an Investigator at CRC, added “HPD’s practice of using excessive force responding to traffic violations makes Black Houston drivers, like Mr. McWashington, particularly vulnerable to police violence and harassment —this is why RISE Houston is working to get HPD out of traffic stops.” Attorney Nii Amaa Ollennu emphasized, “The senseless, avoidable, and drawn-out attack on Mr. McWashington is a clear reminder of the immediate need for change. The troubling pattern of releasing dogs on non-violent suspects as a display of the brute power of police by terrorizing and intentionally maiming Black men must stop.”

The lawsuit is seeking a declaration that the Defendants violated Mr. McWashington’s constitutional rights, as well as seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

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About Civil Rights Corps
CRC is a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging systemic injustice in the American legal system through innovative civil rights litigation. Website: civilrightscorps.org

About NO Law Firm
The NO Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm serving the greater Dallas area. Nii and his team are committed to making a difference in the lives of those they represent. We defend individuals charged with felony and misdemeanor offenses in state and federal court. With unwavering dedication, we advocate for our clients, fighting to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard. Website: nolawtx.com

About Houston PAC
Nii is a member of the Houston Police Accountability Collaborative (Houston PAC). Houston PAC is supported and coordinated by CRC, a civil rights nonprofit, and Pure Justice (PJ), a community organizing and civil engagement nonprofit. In the fall of 2021, CRC and PJ teamed up to recruit and train attorneys in Houston in the nuts and bolts of civil rights litigation against the police as well as the principles of movement lawyering. To join Houston PAC or learn more, contact htxpoliceabuse@civilrightscorps.org.

Media contacts:
Cheryl Bonacci, Civil Rights Corps | cheryl@civilrightscorps.org