Johnnie Givens, a Black man and former police officer from Kentucky, called police for help last year after being threatened with a gun by his daughter’s boyfriend.
But 15 Louisville police officers showed up to his home, forcing their way inside without a warrant to arrest him.
Turns out, his daughter had also called the police an hour after he had called them from another location, accusing him of domestic abuse.
And Louisville police took her word over his word, according to a federal lawsuit Givens filed against the Louisville Police Department last month, accusing officers of violating his Fourth Amendment rights, assault and battery, negligence, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution.
Givens was arrested on a fourth-degree assault domestic violence charge and spent two hours in solitary confinement, where he struggled to breathe and was denied access to his prescription medicine, the claim states. The charge was dismissed in December.
Givens’ son, Micah Davis, who suffers from seizures due to a childhood traumatic brain injury, is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed by Kentucky attorneys Zac Meihausn and Aaron Kemper on March 3, stating the following:
Without a warrant, probable cause, or legal justification for a warrantless entry, the Defendant Police Officers violently forced their way into Johnnie’s home, kicking the door open and slamming Johnnie onto the ground in front of his wife and disabled son.
This excessive and unnecessary use of force resulted in Johnnie sustaining physical injuries, while his son Micah, overstimulated by the chaos and flashing police lights, suffered a seizure.
Shockingly, under information and belief, a total of fifteen (15) police officers from LMPD entered the home, compounding the unlawful intrusion and gross abuse of power.
After violently arresting Johnnie, Defendant Police Officers continued their intimidation tactics by lingering inside the home, subjecting Robin to menacing stares while she pleaded for them to leave her home in peace.
The Forced Entry
The incident took place on Jan. 31, 2024, after Givens called police to report he had just been threatened with a gun by his daughter’s boyfriend before the couple fled the home.
Givens pulled out his own gun and called 911, but Louisville police showed up more than an hour later, and only after his daughter had called police to falsely accuse him of domestic violence.
When the cops arrived, they found no immediate threat but asked Givens to disarm himself, “which he did voluntarily in a demonstration of good faith and compliance,” the lawsuit states.
Givens and his wife, Robin, explained to the cops that their son, Micah, was in the bedroom suffering from seizures, but the cops insisted he had broken the law.
“Defendant Police Officers proceeded to act recklessly, claiming that they had received a call from Johnnie’s daughter accusing him of domestic violence – an accusation made long after she had left the premises,” the claim states.
“Johnnie provided his truthful version of events, refuting the baseless allegations against him.”
But the lawsuit states the cops cited baseless “Kentucky law” and forced their way into the home, despite Givens’ objections.
The cops transported Givens to the hospital to be treated for injuries sustained by the arrest before he was transported to jail.
Listed as defendants are Louisville police officers Steven Mantle, Eric Grimmer, John King, Dylan Boyles, Ryan Strong, Erika Garner, Christopher Woodlee, Lucero Vasquez, Garrett Hudson, Christopher Gaddis, Christopher Harper, Alyson Begel, Esther Ragan, Zainulabdeen Adel and Andrew Woodard.
Also listed is former Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, who resigned last year after she was suspended for mishandling a sexual harassment claim about an officer. She was the agency’s third police chief since the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
Also listed are the current police chief, Paul Humphries, and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, for allowing the pattern to continue.
“Given the intentional, reckless, and malicious manner in which the Defendant Police Officers acted against Johnnie and Micah, they are entitled to punitive damages,” the claim states.
“The Defendant Police Officers’ egregious behavior is reflective of a broader pattern of misconduct enabled by Louisville Metro and Chief Conrad, including a failure to train, supervise, discipline, or properly instruct officers regarding civilian rights, lawful stops, arrests, and use of force.”
Givens told WDRB that he expected the cops to have common sense but that was asking too much.
“I felt like having a conversation would be enough, but, apparently, it was not,” Givens told the local media station that has posted portions of the forced entry recorded on his surveillance camera, showing him cooperating with the cops after they asked him to put his gun down.
But things escalated when they insisted on forcing their way inside his home to arrest him.
