A man is suing the Lynwood Police Department and two of its officers after a 2019 roadside stop that was caught on body camera video.
According to a federal lawsuit reported by outlets including the Chicago Tribune, Marcus, 48, an Indiana resident and retired federal police officer, was pulled over on May 17, 2019 along Glenwood Dyer Road at Torrence Avenue. He says he had stopped to organize items in his truck. Officer Luke accused him of urinating in the road.
What The Video Shows
Body camera footage described in the lawsuit shows the officer telling Marcus to touch a puddle on the ground and then lick it. The officer says that if Marcus refused, it would prove the liquid was urine. Marcus refused, asked for a supervisor, and said he had not broken any law. Marcus can be heard asking, “You think ’cause I’m black, I’m gonna sit here and touch some dirt, then lick it?”
The lawsuit says the officer then fired a Taser at Marcus several times and ordered a police dog on him as he asked not to be bitten. Marcus was taken to the hospital and treated for dog bites to his arm and shoulder.
The Charges And The Claims
Marcus was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, resisting a peace officer and obstructing a peace officer, among other counts, according to the lawsuit. The Chicago Tribune reported that the weapon charge stems from a handgun police found in his truck, which he owns legally. He says he never used it.
The suit accuses the officers of excessive force and false arrest, and says Marcus still deals with physical and emotional trauma. The Lynwood Police Department’s response to the lawsuit was not included in the reports we reviewed, and Baller Alert did not find a statement from the officers. We will update this story if they respond.
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