Crump Represents Family of Akeem Terrell, Man Who Died in a Maricopa County Jail
PHOENIX, Ariz. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump released the following statement in response to a newly released report from the Department of Justice on the Phoenix Police Department. The report found that the DOJ believes that the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department have engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
Specific findings include:
- Phoenix PD uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and other types of force.
- Phoenix PD and the City unlawfully detain, cite, and arrest people experiencing homelessness and unlawfully dispose of their belongings.
- Phoenix PD discriminates against Black, Hispanic, and Native American people when enforcing the law.
- Phoenix PD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech and expression.
- Phoenix PD and the City discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when dispatching calls for assistance and responding to people in crisis.
Crump represents the family of Akeem Terrell, a man who died in a Maricopa County jail on New Year’s Day of 2021. Attorney Crump and co-counsel, Jesse M. Showalter and Lincoln Comb, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Terrell’s family for his death, alleging excessive force and deliberate indifference to obvious medical needs by the officers. The lawsuit names the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Paul Penzone; Maricopa County; the city of Phoenix; and nine officers involved in their individual capacities as defendants.
Video from the incident shows multiple police officers forcing Terrell into an isolation cell as he was showing signs of mental illness. Officers then pulled at his legs, causing handcuffed Terrell to fall onto the floor. Once on the floor, multiple officers were on top of Terrell for over three minutes. The officers then left the cell, leaving Terrell motionless and alone on the floor for six minutes until initiating medical care.
Attorney Crump issued the following statement:
“This DOJ report underscores the fact that the brutal death of Akeem Terrell was yet another example of the treatment experienced by many who have interacted with the Phoenix Police Department. We thank the Department of Justice and its Civil Rights Division for this thorough investigation, revealing report, and justified recommendations – which will hopefully be implemented immediately to usher in a better culture of policing in Phoenix.
“While we are still fighting for justice for Akeem, we continue to also fight for those who are still here with us. There shouldn’t be another Akeem Terrell. There shouldn’t be another George Floyd. It is critical that police departments follow guidance like that of the DOJ to better protect our communities.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
