The same Ohio cops captured on video earlier this month forcing a Black man out of his car after pulling him over for not using a turn signal were involved in a separate incident with another Black person that resulted in a $27,500 settlement in January.
The latest video shows Dayton police officers Riley Brown and Elyzabeth McDonald forcing a 20-year-old Black man out of his car after he pulled into his own home without using a turn signal on April 1.
According to the arrest report, the cops pulled Jeffrey Johnson Jr. out of the car after demanding to know if he had any guns in the car but rather than answer them, he attempted to call his mother. But the arrest report provides no explanation as to why they even suspected he may have had a gun in the car, other than being a Black man driving a Chevy Impala.
In fact, they provided no explanation as to why they even decided to follow him in the first place, other than to “ascertain a license plate” – which is basically fishing for a reason to pull him over.
The cops continued following Johnson until he pulled into his driveway without using a turn signal, which was when they pulled him over.
They then claim in their report that they smelled weed coming from the car but they evidently did not find any weed or guns because all they charged him with was obstruction, resisting arrest, driving without a license and not using a turn signal.
Johnson’s female passenger recorded the video and posted it to TikTok with the following description, where it has been viewed more than 734,000 times as of this writing, accusing McDonald of snatching the phone from Johnson and throwing it on the floor of the car.
She also said they have a history of being harassed by the same cops.
“We have had 4 encounters with these officers and have became a target these are the only officers we ever have bad experiences with and something needs to be done before it’s to late no one cares about situations like this until someone is dead,” she wrote in the description of the video.
Previous Lawsuit
Both McDonald and Brown were two of the four cops listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Toi-Allyson Kolowena in 2024, who was violently arrested on fabricated charges for recording cops arresting her sister in 2022.
In that case, Kolowena’s little sister, who was a minor, called police, possibly for help, but they showed up to the home and arrested her for reasons that have not been made public.
When Kolowena, 34, attempted to record the arrest, the four cops pounced on her, arresting her on fabricated charges and leaving her with permanent injuries.
In January, Kolowena agreed to a $27,500 settlement.
On April 1, the two cops were riding in the same patrol car when they spotted Johnson and began following him, they explained in the police report.
Officer McDonald and I were traveling westbound on Hoover Ave near Brooklyn Ave. Officer McDonald observed a black Chevrolet Impala traveling, traveling eastbound on Hoover Ave. Officer McDonald maneuvered our cruiser to get behind the Impala in order to ascertain a license plate.
I was able to obtain the license plate, OH reg/KRU3450. The Impala made a southbound turn onto Lorenz Ave and made an eastbound turn into the driveway at 440 Lorenz Ave and failed to signal before making the turn. Officer McDonald activated our overhead emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle, in the driveway.
Officer McDonald approached the driver side of the vehicle and advised the driver, later identified as Jeffery Johnson Jr, the reason for the traffic stop. I advised Officer McDonald I could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Officer McDonald asked Jeffery, two times, if there were any weapons in the vehicle, he refused to answer and instead attempted to call his mother.
Officer McDonald attempted to grab Jefferey’s right arm and pull Jefferey out of the vehicle, he pulled his arm away from her and pushed himself further into the vehicle. I went to the driver side and assisted Officer McDonald in removing Jefferey from the vehicle and placed him onto the ground and into handcuffs. Jefferey was escorted to the backseat of our cruiser.
Previous Incidents Against Black People
The police narrative is not much different than how Johnson’s passenger described it on TikTok.
Apparently this is what happens when you fail to put on a turn single turning into your driveway officer McDonald badge number 500 ( if that’s even her name ) she stated that she pulled us over due not putting on a turn single turning into the drive way the car is off and the window is down she ask if there are any weapons in the car we say no he calls his mom and tell her what’s going on officer McDonald snatches his phone throws it on the floor and forcefully drag him out the car she never asked him to step out never said he was under arrest they wrongfully arrested him for resisting arrest and obstruction which is false charges on him he did nothing but comply they searched the car without consent and without probable causes it was no drugs no weapons in the car these are the same officers every time that uses excessive force we have had 4 encounters with these officers and have became a target these are the only officers we ever have bad experiences with and something needs to be done before it’s to late no one cares about situations like this until someone is dead
Hundreds of commenters were outraged watching the video, predicting a lawsuit and settlement.
“These cops don’t care about lawsuits because it’s not coming out of their pocket, and they know the department will protect them,” wrote one commenter.
Last year, Dayton police officers pulled over a Black man in a Bentley, hoping to find something to arrest him on, searching every crack and crevice of his car for contraband before giving up and handing him a citation for illegal tints.
In 2021, Dayton police pulled over a Black man who is a paraplegic, accusing him of leaving a drug house, dragging him out of his car by force since he was unable to step out on his own.
But when they searched his car, they found no contraband, so they cited him for illegal tints and for having an unrestrained child in the car. Clifford Owensby ended up receiving a $125,000 settlement in 2023.
Last month, Dayton police once again came under scrutiny when they shot and killed a Black man named Reginald E. Thomas whom they stopped for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk with no lights.
When they asked Thomas if he had a gun, police say he fled and then pulled out a gun which was when they killed him.
“We want to know why he was stopped on a bicycle, minding his own business,” Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, co-founder and co-executive director of the national nonprofit Racial Justice NOW!, told local media last month.
“There were no victims. There was nobody that we know of that called police on him,”
