Students tasered by Atlanta police during George Floyd protests seeking $2 million settlement – Essence

Two Atlanta college students have received a $2 million settlement following a lawsuit they filed after they were electrocuted and pulled from their car while stuck in traffic during a George Floyd protest in 2020, according to the AP.

Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim filed a lawsuit in June 2021, arguing that police had no reason to remove them from their car and shock them. Video of the May 30, 2020 incident went viral, and immediate action was taken by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and then-Police Chief Erica Shields, who fired two of the officers and placed three others on desk duty.

Police body camera footage released after the clash showed a young man saying he had done nothing wrong and begging officers to release him as they pulled him over in a traffic jam.

Young, who was sitting behind the wheel of his car at the time, appeared to be filming the incident. Officers approached his car and opened the door. Young closed the door and asked officers to release the young man into custody and let him get into his car.

Young then tried to flee but found herself stuck in traffic. Officers then rushed to both sides of the car, shouting orders. Pilgrim, who was in the passenger seat, tried to leave the vehicle, but at that point officers tased her and pulled her out of the car.

The scene escalated when police ordered Young to pull the car over and open the window. He refused, and officers began trying to break the driver’s side window with a baton. They eventually broke the window and tased Young and violently removed him from the car.

In the footage, police can also be heard yelling, “Get your hands out of your pockets,” and “He’s got a gun. He’s got a gun. He’s got a gun.” Young was later arrested. However, no gun was ever found.

The settlement with the city of Atlanta comes after the reinstatement of the two fired officers and the acquittal of the six officers involved in the case. At the time of the 2022 decision, Cherokee District Attorney Samir Patel explained that the officers’ actions were justified by law. “Not only were law enforcement officers acting within their legal authority in their actions to obtain compliance with the law, but their actions were also largely consistent with the Atlanta Police Department’s use of force policy.”

In reaching the settlement, the Atlanta City Council, which approved the settlement, was careful to clarify that it was not an admission of liability. However, Pilgrim’s attorneys, Dianna Lee, L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, said in a statement to the AP: “This case has been an emotional rollercoaster for two innocent students who were victims of excessive and unjustifiable force by APD officers.”

Young’s attorney, Mawuli Davis, echoed that sentiment: “The resolution of the civil case will allow these young people and their families to continue to heal from this traumatic experience,” Davis continued. “It’s important for them to help remind the community that the fight to prevent police brutality continues.”