A Michigan man filed a lawsuit after claiming that he was beat unconscious by undercover police when he was mistaken for a fugitive. James King was a student at Grand Valley State University, and he was walking to his job at a science education non-profit when he came upon Grand Rapids Police Detective Todd Allen and FBI agent Douglas Brownback. Both officers were looking for a fugitive named Aaron Davison, who was wanted for a home invasion, and they were relying on a seven year old driver's license photo to identify him.
When the officers approached King he didn't see their badges, so when one of the officers grabbed King's wallet out of his pocket after asking him to lean up against a black SUV with his hands behind his head, he thought he was being mugged. King then began to run from the officers, and when he called for help from a someone nearby he was pummeled by one of the cops. He was put in a chokehold that rendered him unconscious and when he woke up trying to bite one of the officers in an attempt to get out of the perceived mugging, King was punched repeatedly in his face.
Instead of apologizing for the case of mistaken identity, King was charged with assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, aggravated assault of a police officer, and resisting arrest. According to the lawsuit, his family spent their life savings trying to get him out of the legal trouble, and he was later cleared of all charges. King is now seeking damages for violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments in his lawsuit.
