Lakewood Will Pay $150,000 To Resolve Lawsuit Against Officer

LAKEWOOD, OH — Lakewood has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging an off-duty police officer broke a teenage girl's jaw at the Lakewood Public Library. The incident happened two years ago, in November 2016.

The city and the girl's family came to an agreement this week, cleveland.com reported. As part of the agreement, the city does not have to admit to damages or liability.

The incident in question happened November 7, 2016. Officer Kevin Jones was working an off-duty position at the library when he encountered the teenager and told her she was breaking one of the library's rules. He told her to leave the library. There are discrepancies between the city's account of what happened next and Johnson's.

Both sides agree that Jones tried to force the girl to leave, placing her in a full-nelson-type hold and trying to take her out of the building. Johnson's lawyer, Subodh Chandra, said in a news release that Johnson grabbed the girl, pushed her neck, shoved her into a book cart, and then slammed her to the floor, crashing on top of her.

The city said the two struggled and then fell, with Jones landing atop the girl. The fall led to a broken jaw.

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Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch