Man Files Suit Against Arlington Police for Shooting Him: Report

ARLINGTON, MA — A man accused of driving the getaway car in an Arlington robbery in 2014 has sued the town, and two police officers on the grounds that he was wrongfully shot during the incident.

According to a report by the Boston Globe, James Riley, 39, of Quincy claims that he was unarmed and did not know that his passenger had robbed a bank. Riley has named Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan and police officer Michael Foley, the officer who shot Riley, as well as the town.

Riley is currently awaiting trial for the alleged robbery, and while he survived the shooting, he says that he suffers from permanent injuries.

According to a 2014 report from Patch, Foley and another officer approached a gray Jeep, believed to have been the getaway vehicle from the bank robbery at Leader Bank in East Arlington, on Brooks Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2014. When the officers approached, Riley brandished a handgun, authorities said. Foley then fired his service weapon at Riley.

However, District Attorney Marian Ryan said at the time that Foley's actions were justified.

“The actions of Arlington Officer Michael Foley, who was in uniform, in discharging his weapon at James Riley and striking him were justified in the exercise of self-defense and/or defense of another,” Ryan said in the statement. “Under the circumstances, Officer Foley acted reasonably and lawfully. Therefore, no criminal charges are warranted.”

Read more from the Boston Globe here.

Image via the Arlington Police Department.