Cops rip out man’s dreadlocks and slam him to ground during NC traffic stop, suit says
Demarcus Fox was obeying traffic rules when five police officers pursued him from behind and pulled him over, without reason, in North Carolina, according to a new lawsuit.
Once Fox saw lights flash from the officers’ vehicles, he pulled into the driveway of his family home in Greenville and parked his car the evening of Oct. 7, 2022, a complaint filed Aug. 8 in federal court says.
According to the complaint, the Greenville police officers had no reason to suspect Fox had committed, or was engaged in, a crime.
They’re accused of aggressively approaching him in the driveway, with guns pointed, and ordering him to step out of his car, the complaint says.
As Fox had his hands up and tried to comply, an officer grabbed him by his dreadlocks, which Fox had grown for about 10 years, and “violently” pulled — ripping several locs out, according to the complaint.
“Officers continued their excessive force against Fox by slamming him to the ground, placing a knee on his neck, repeatedly punching and kneeing him, and needlessly grinding his face into the ground,” an Aug. 8 news release by Fox’s attorney Brandon S. Atwater, of Cary-based law firm Atwater Law PLLC, said.
Now, Fox, a 39-year-old former East Carolina University wide receiver, is suing the City of Greenville, and the five arresting officers: Keith L. Knox, Brice A. Wordsworth, Justin L. White, Kurt F. Puerto and Justin W. Wooten. He’s accusing them of excessive force and violating his civil rights, the complaint shows.
He is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
In a statement to McClatchy News on Aug. 9, the city said “it takes public safety very seriously, and the Police Department works diligently to keep the community safe.”
“City officials are aware of the lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. Fox, and the associated video that is circulating,” the statement said.
According to the complaint, Fox’s arrest was captured by a third-party eyewitness’ cellphone.
“It should be noted that the video includes only a portion of the events from that evening,” the city’s statement added. “While we do not discuss specifics of pending litigation, the city will vigorously defend this lawsuit and is eagerly anticipating the chance to provide all of the details of what occurred to the court.”
McClatchy News also contacted the Greenville Police Department for comment on Aug. 9 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
What Fox was charged with
During Fox’s traffic stop, the five officers are accused of “looking for a reason to justify stopping (him),” and of failing to activate their dashboard and body-worn cameras, according to the complaint.
Eyewitness video of Fox’s arrest, provided to WITN-TV, shows him pulling into a driveway as officers surround his car.
Afterward, Fox is seen with hands raised as officers shout at him before one appears to grab him by the head. Seconds later, Fox is taken to the ground as officers get on top of him.
The video, which only captures part of the officers’ interaction with Fox, shows instances of Fox being struck and kneed while on the ground.
Ultimately, Fox was charged with “Fleeing/Eluding Arrest and Resisting a Public Officer” — charges that were dropped on Jan. 18, according to the complaint.
A police incident report regarding the traffic stop provided to McClatchy News by Greenville assistant city attorney Donald Phillips lists two counts of “Resist/obstruct Public Officer” and references a “knife/cutting instrument.”
Meanwhile, an arrest report provided to McClatchy News by Atwater says Fox didn’t have a weapon with him during the traffic stop.
Fox is asked to become a ‘confidential informant,’ lawsuit says
When Fox was brought into custody following the traffic stop, the arresting officers told him “they wanted him to work as a confidential informant for the City of Greenville Police Department,” the complaint says.
“Officers indicated that criminal charges associated with the stop would go away, and also offered to pay Plaintiff for his cooperation, and further indicated that if Plaintiff agreed to work with them, he could engage in criminal activity without fear of being hassled by Greenville Police.”
Fox declined and told officers he planned to plead not guilty to the charges against him before they were dropped, according to the lawsuit.
He is suing on several causes of action, including Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights violations.
“The Defendant City of Greenville has an established practice having (its) law enforcement officers stop suspects without reasonable articulable suspicion and then having their law enforcement officers apply excessive force, with the intention of provoking a reactionary response from otherwise compliant suspects…,” the complaint says.
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