A man who worked security for a CNN broadcast team that covered protest and riot activity in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd filed a civil rights lawsuit against two Minnesota State Patrol officers who arrested him during the demonstrations.
Michael Cooper, who is black, sued officers Patrick Kelly and “Jane Doe” in the federal District Court of Minnesota on Thursday, alleging they violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights by unlawfully arresting him on May 30, 2020, and detaining him for 20 hours.
The complaint, which seeks a jury trial and monetary damages, said Cooper was a credentialed member of the media and part of the same team as CNN journalist Omar Jimenez, who was also arrested while in Minneapolis last May.
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“The selective arresting of black media members was not coincidental. It was intentional and racially motivated,” the suit alleged.
Attorneys for Cooper, who, according to the suit, retired from the Illinois State Police in 2005 following a 43-year career, announced the suit in a news release on Tuesday and said that though their client was among multiple white press members at the time, he alone was arrested.
“How many times will the country need to see this script play out, where a black man is treated differently by police than other people in the same situation?” said Christopher O’Neal, an attorney with the firm Ben Crump Law. Crump represented Floyd’s family.
“Mr. Cooper’s experience while simply working while black is, unfortunately, all too common,” O’Neal added.
NEWS ALERT: Minnesota State Troopers arrested Michael Cooper, a Black man, while he was working as a security officer for @CNN‘s news crew covering protests after George Floyd’s murder. @AttorneyCrump @TonyRomanucci & @Jeff_Storms have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Cooper. pic.twitter.com/mfUBB68ADy
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) June 1, 2021
Cooper’s suit alleges injury due to the arrest, which subjected him to “pain, suffering, humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress.” He seeks an amount exceeding $500,000 on the count alleging unlawful detention and excessive force and another amount to exceed $500,000 on the count alleging First Amendment violations.
Bruce Gordon, director of communications for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, declined to comment on the lawsuit but denied the suit’s accusations.
“While we are not able to comment on pending litigation, we disagree with the allegations and look forward to presenting the facts in court,” he told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
A field report detailing Cooper’s arrest that was reviewed by the Washington Examiner said that Cooper failed to comply with officer commands to clear an area, which were given to enforce Mayor Jacob Frey’s 8 p.m. curfew.
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The report said Cooper was carrying two handguns at the time of his arrest and did not have media credentials.