AndrewBlakeBaltimore – A jury awarded $75,000 to a 26-year-old man who was doused by a spray canister and taken to the ground by two Baltimore police officers.
Lomax was arrested in May of 2015 when he was protesting the death of Freddie Gray. His arrest was recorded on video (below) and received national attention, according to The Baltimore Sun.
“I’m very happy. Justice has been served in the City of Baltimore,” Lomax said after the verdict.
Lomax sued Lt. Christopher O’Ree and Sgt. Keith Gladstone of the Baltimore Police Department and claimed they used excessive force during his arrest.
In the May 2, 2015 arrest video, Lomax walked towards the police officers with his hands balled and shouted, “Arrest me! Arrest me! I’m right here.”
Lt. O’Ree used pepper spray on Lomax. The chemical blinded Lomax and filled his mouth and nose and the impact was felt for 21 days while he was jailed, Lomax’s attorney told the jury.
Lomax’s attorney claimed that it wasn’t pepper spray that Lomax was sprayed with, but tear gas meant to disperse crowds 18 feet away, despite video evidence showing otherwise.
An attorney for the police officers disputed the claims from Lomax’s attorney.
After he was hit by the pepper spray, Sgt. Gladstone dragged him down to the ground.
A different jury acquitted Lomax of disorderly conduct five months after his arrest.
Neil Duke, the attorney for the police, said that Lomax was 5-foot-5, 230-pound man who moved at the police with “a look of fury,” The Baltimore Sun reported.
Hundreds of people were arrested during the rioting in Baltimore, but many of those people were released without charges. Several others had their charges dropped.
You can see the video of his arrest below: