$500K Lawsuit Filed Against Prince George's Police Department Citing Assault, False Arrest

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A 21-year-old man has filed a lawsuit against the Prince George's County Police Department, saying that officers illegally searched and arrested him without any justifiable reason.

A little more than two weeks ago in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 3, Umar Ali says he was leaving an event when he approached a checkpoint set up along Sweitzer Lane in Laurel. According to the lawsuit, Ali said he gave officers his license and registration. When the officers asked if he had a gun, he replied he did and added that he had a permit for the gun.

"Wasn’t thinking nothing of it. I wasn’t hesitant to go into it because it was just like I had no reason to be nervous or hesitant," Ali told Fox5DC. "When they pulled me out of the car, and they put me on the curb, I’m explaining to the cop to read the back of my permit which will tell you I have no restrictions on my permit. He’s sitting up there trying to tell me it’s fake and that the car is stolen and this and that. That’s the frustrating part."

Ali was handcuffed and sought medical treatment afterward due to bruised wrists. His attorney Malik Shabazz told Fox5DC that police officers are required to contact the Maryland Gun Center before any law enforcement actions are to be taken, which didn't happen in Ali's case. His lawsuit sites assault and battery, false arrest and false imprisonment. He is seeking $500,000 in damages. There is cell phone video of the incident, according to Fox5DC.

"The humiliation, the embarrassment, what he has to be subjected to in the public, this court of law places a value on that. His dignity was stripped," Shabazz told Fox5DC.