Witness to Michael Brown Shooting Charged With Resisting Arrest
Dorian Johnson, who was a witness to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, was arrested and charged in St. Louis on Wednesday (May 6), the local CBS station reports. He faces one count of resisting arrest.
Johnson was cuffed the same day that his attorney announced that he is suing the city of Ferguson, its former police chief, and former officer Darren Wilson for psychological suffering and emotional distress stemming from the day that Wilson stopped him and Brown. The Missourian is seeking at least $25,000 in damages and is also asking for an injunction to stop what he calls discriminatory police practices in Ferguson.
Authorities claim they responded to a disturbance call at a home in a suburb north of St. Louis where Johnson and his brother Demonte Johnson were present. As they began to search another man who they believed to be carrying a concealed weapon, Demonte attempted to intervene, grabbing the officer's arm and saying that the person being searched could not be arrested.
Police said someone else stepped in and tried to get Demonte away from the officer. Dorian then allegedly ran towards the person trying to grab Demonte, and demanded that he take his hands off his brother. Dorian also allegedly claimed the officers could not arrest anyone on the scene and then resisted arrest himself when an officer tried to cuff him.
Johnson's attorney James Williams told CNN he was still awaiting information on the his client's arrest. "Unfortunately, we don't have any details at the time, so I can't really elaborate on what happened," he said. Meanwhile, Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said Wednesday that the city was aware of Johnson's lawsuit but declined to comment on pending litigation.
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(Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESSAP)
