'Mayor of Edgewater' Sues Police for $7 Million

EDGEWATER, MD — A developmentally disabled man dubbed “The Mayor of Edgewater,” who was arrested and tased by county police in 2013 before charges were dropped, has filed a $7 million federal lawsuit against Anne Arundel County, the Capital-Gazette reports.

The lawsuit was filed Aug. 9 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore by William "Boogie" Lawson Jr., 52, of Edgewater. Court documents claim Anne Arundel County Police officers used a Taser on Lawson, struck him with a baton and falsely arrested him. The lawsuit says Lawson seeks $2 million in compensatory and $5 million in punitive damages.

Lawson, who was known to many county police and firefighters because of his interest in emergency work, went outside his home when he heard emergency sirens on Aug. 11, 2013. Police mistook him for a possible drunk driver in the area, and a scared Lawson went back to his house, where he was hit by an officer with a baton and tased, the newspaper reports.

Neighbors and Lawson’s mother reportedly told police that he didn’t understand the situation.

Police Chief Timothy Altomare said in a statement about the lawsuit: "I have personally met Mr. Lawson many times over the years and have been touched by his lifelong love of public safety personnel. To me that is the overwhelming tragedy of this situation, we may have lost a true lover of police officers here. I wish I knew a way to fix the situation."

»Read the full Capital-Gazette story on the Mayor of Edgewater here.