Sudanese family to sue police Relatives claim excessive force used in response to suicide call

PORTLAND – A Sudanese family intends to sue the Portland police department for allegedly using excessive force when responding to a disturbance last month, a non-profit peace organization says.

Peace Action Maine said Wednesday that a lawsuit will be filed on behalf of eight members of the Okot family. Three members of the family were arrested in June following a melee at their apartment when police were called to subdue a man who may have been suicidal.

Scott Miller, executive director of Peace Action Maine, said the lawsuit will seek $1.5 million in damages, the dismissal of criminal charges and the creation of an outside entity to review complaints of police misconduct.

“This is a demand for the truth to come out, an internal and external review so the community can find some way to believe police officers are not abusing members of the immigrant community,” Miller said.

Portland police say they did nothing wrong.

Police Chief Michael Chitwood said officers were trying to subdue an agitated family member who was armed with a screwdriver and a fork, when other family members intervened and tried to stop police. One officer was bitten on the arm and required medical treatment.

“After reviewing the officers’ reports and listening to radio tapes, I support the officers 100 percent and I will defend them 100 percent,” Chitwood said. “They did nothing wrong that night.”

Police say they received an emergency call from the apartment on June 13 indicating that David Okot, 17, was threatening to kill himself.

According to police reports, officers were attacked by David Okot’s two sisters and mother after they wrestled him to the ground when he jumped at them.

The women, though, say they jumped the officers only because they thought the police were killing David Okot.

The women were arrested on charges ranging from obstructing government administration to assaulting a police officer.

David Okot was taken to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.

Miller said the family’s attorney, Charles William of Lewiston, will officially announce the suit at a news conference at City Hall on Thursday. William declined to comment on the suit.

One member of the Okot family, Jackson Okot, was one of two youths who sued the department over a 1998 incident saying police used excessive force and racial epithets in detaining them.

A jury agreed police had used excessive force and should not have detained the youths, though it awarded damages of only $502.