Kentucky — Last year, Johnnie Givens, a Black man and former police officer from Kentucky, called police for help after being threatened with a gun by his daughter’s boyfriend.
However, 15 Louisville police officers showed up at his home and forced their way inside without a warrant to arrest him.
His daughter had also called the police an hour after he had called them from another location, accusing him of domestic violence.
According to a federal lawsuit filed last month by Givens against the Louisville Police Department, officers violated his Fourth Amendment rights, assault and battery, negligence, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution. They also took her word over his.
Givens was arrested on a fourth-degree assault domestic violence charge and held in solitary confinement for two hours, where he struggled to breathe and was denied access to his prescription medication, according to the claim. The charge was dismissed in December.
Micah Davis, Givens’ son who suffers from seizures as a result of a childhood traumatic brain injury, is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed by Kentucky attorneys Zac Meihausn and Aaron Kemper on March 3 and states the following:
Without a warrant, probable cause, or legal justification for a warrantless entry, the Defendant Police Officers violently forced their way into Johnnie’s home, kicking the door open and slamming Johnnie onto the ground in front of his wife and disabled son.
This excessive and unnecessary use of force resulted in Johnnie sustaining physical injuries, while his son Micah, overstimulated by the chaos and flashing police lights, suffered a seizure.
Shockingly, under information and belief, a total of fifteen (15) police officers from LMPD entered the home, compounding the unlawful intrusion and gross abuse of power.
After violently arresting Johnnie, Defendant Police Officers continued their intimidation tactics by lingering inside the home, subjecting Robin to menacing stares while she pleaded for them to leave her home in peace.
The Forced Entry
The incident occurred on January 31, 2024, when Givens called police to report that his daughter’s boyfriend had threatened him with a gun before fleeing the house.
Givens pulled out his own gun and called 911, but Louisville police arrived more than an hour later, after his daughter falsely accused him of domestic violence.
When cops arrived, they discovered no immediate threat and asked Givens to disarm himself, “which he did voluntarily in a demonstration of good faith and compliance,” according to the lawsuit.
Givens and his wife, Robin, explained to the cops that their son, Micah, was having seizures in the bedroom, but the cops insisted he had violated the law.
“Defendant Police Officers proceeded to act recklessly, claiming that they had received a call from Johnnie’s daughter accusing him of domestic violence – an accusation made long after she had left the premises,” says the lawsuit.
“Johnnie provided his truthful version of events, refuting the baseless allegations against him.”
However, the lawsuit claims that despite Givens’ objections, the cops used baseless “Kentucky law” to force their way into the house.
Before transporting Givens to jail, the cops took him to the hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during arrest.
The defendants include Louisville police officers Steven Mantle, Eric Grimmer, John King, Dylan Boyles, Ryan Strong, Erika Garner, Christopher Woodlee, Lucero Vasquez, Garrett Hudson, Christopher Gaddis, Christopher Harper, Alyson Begel, Esther Ragan, Zainulabdeen Adel, and Andrew Woodard.
Former Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel is also on the list, having resigned last year after being suspended for failing to handle a sexual harassment claim against an officer. She became the agency’s third police chief following the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
The current police chief, Paul Humphries, and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg have also been blamed for allowing the pattern to continue.
“Given the intentional, reckless, and malicious manner in which the Defendant Police Officers acted against Johnnie and Micah, they are entitled to punitive damages,” according to the claim.
“The Defendant Police Officers’ egregious behavior is reflective of a broader pattern of misconduct enabled by Louisville Metro and Chief Conrad, including a failure to train, supervise, discipline, or properly instruct officers regarding civilian rights, lawful stops, arrests, and use of force.”
Givens told WDRB that he expected the cops to use common sense, but that was asking too much.
“I thought having a conversation would be enough, but, apparently, it wasn’t,” Givens told the local media station that has posted portions of the forced entry recorded on his surveillance camera, which show him cooperating with the cops after they asked him to put down his gun.
However, things escalated when they insisted on breaking into his home to arrest him.
