The family of deacon Johnny Hollman, who died following a traffic ticket dispute, is suing the tow truck driver who assisted the former Atlanta cop who tased the 62-year-old at the scene.
The lawsuit was filed in the State Court of DeKalb County on Monday, Dec. 4, against Eric Robinson and his employer, S&W Services of Atlanta Inc., which has a contract with the city to handle car accidents. It seeks punitive damages for Hollman’s death. The family has also demanded that the officer and Robinson face charges.
On Aug. 10, Hollman got into a minor car accident while on his way home from Bible study, and APD’s Kiran Kimbrough was called to Cunningham Place and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, where it happened. According to body camera footage, the ex-officer blamed Hollman for the accident and ordered him to sign the ticket.
Hollman, however, requested to speak to his sergeant, but the officer kept asking for his signature. After going back and forth, Hollman agreed to finally sign the ticket, but Kimbrough pushed him to the ground, instructing him to put his arms behind his back. In the video, the man complained about struggling to breathe, but the officer continued to use his Taser.
Simultaneously, per the lawsuit, Robinson was dispatched to the area. When he got to the scene, he noticed the officer “physically on top” of Hollman, who was lying on the concrete.
“Without appearing to be asked by the officer to assist him, Defendant Robinson immediately joined the officer on top of the citizen’s body and forcefully grabbed the citizen’s left arm,” the complaint alleged. “While doing so, Defendant Robinson straddled the citizen’s head and neck, appearing to sit with his full body weight on the citizen’s head and neck.”
Hollman said that he couldn’t breathe several times but was allegedly struck in the face by the officer as well as stunned more than once. Per the document, while the duo was handcuffing Hollman, Robinson remained on top of him. The man was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The cop was fired from his job.
The claim notes that during the incident, Robinson made comments: “That s**t still in me!” and “Ain’t had to tussle with a motherf***er in eight years.” The medical examiner, who ruled Hollman’s manner of death a homicide, listed multiple injuries to his body, including contusions to the back, the filing said.
“This is another necessary step towards holding all involved accountable for the death of Deacon Hollman. In addition to this civil action, the family is calling for the City of Atlanta to examine and reconsider their business relationship with the company and to criminally prosecute the driver,” attorney Mawuli Davis of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law said in a statement.
