Golden Valley, MN: White man robs store, black man gets $1.15M for police abuse

thumpsalot · #1 11-30-2011, 10:40 PM

Star Tribune (23 Jan 2008): Lawsuit's settlement brings no joy to man beaten up by police

Quote:

Originally Posted by Star Tribune

Golden Valley has agreed to pay nearly $1.15 million to a black man who police officers threw to the ground and pepper-sprayed after mistaking him for a bank robber nearly three years ago.

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"I don't understand all the fancy lawyering, I just know a white kid robbed the bank and they beat me up."

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Hixon, a longtime businessman and community leader in Golden Valley, had stopped at a service station in April 2005 to add oil to his car when a bank outlet at an adjacent grocery store was robbed. Police dispatchers said the robbery suspect was white.

Police say Hixon started to run. Hixon testified he was just trying to get out of the way of potential gunfire when officer Mario Hernandez took him down, placed a boot on his neck, handcuffed him, pepper-sprayed him and arrested him. Charges were later dropped and the robber was caught within minutes and convicted.

Wikipedia (as of 30 Nov 2011) on the Al Hixon case:

Quote:

April 2, 2005: Al Hixon was handcuffed, pepper-sprayed in his eyes and nostrils, and arrested by Golden Valley Police for robbery. While the 911 transcript reveals that the Golden Valley police had twice been informed that a white male in a white van had robbed a local bank, two Golden Valley police officers proceeded rapidly to a nearby the gas station and arrested Mr. Hixon, a dark-skinned black man, who was refueling his Jaguar automobile. Despite being informed twice that the robber was white, the officers arrested Hixon for the crime. The charges were dropped when they realized their mistake. Hixon was awarded the largest police brutality punitive damages in Minnesota history by a jury. No discipline was taken against the officers.[66]

For more info: Google Search for more information about the Al Hixon case