DEARBORN, Mich. – A jury has awarded $9.3 million to a man who was tackled and wrongly arrested by a Dearborn police officer after asking for directions.
The confrontation happened on Nov. 17, 2018, at the White Castle restaurant on Telegraph Road near Oxford Street in Dearborn.
Luther Gonzales-Hall said he asked a Dearborn police officer for directions, but instead of helping, the officer assaulted and wrongly arrested him.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, nearly five years later, a Wayne County jury reached a verdict that Gonzales-Hall’s constitutional rights had been violated and awarded him $9.3 million for the damage the confrontation caused.
“My injuries will never completely heal, even though I did nothing wrong,” Gonzales-Hall said. “I just asked for directions.”
Gonzales-Hall said during the seven-day court trial that he still has nightmares of being arrested and attacked. Ultimately, the jury members ruled in his favor.
“The jury has spoken and compensated Luther for his injuries and the violations of his constitutional rights,” attorney Azzam Elder said. “The officer had trampled on his rights, and the jury said that all rights are valuable, including the rights of Mexican-Americans.”
You can see body camera footage of the confrontation below.
