MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in November 2022.
In a meeting Thursday morning, the Minneapolis City Council awarded tens of thousands of dollars to residents who have filed various recent lawsuits against the city, including a man who said Minneapolis police officers violated his civil rights by using excessive force during a 2022 encounter.
The city settled with Said Abdullahi for $50,000 over his claim he was forcibly brought to the ground and ticketed for disorderly conduct before being jailed as the result of recording officers on his cell phone. Court records showed Abdullahi spent three days in jail, but his charge was dismissed by prosecutors about a month later.
According to the lawsuit, Abdullahi started filming officers when they responded to an incident in which Abdullahi's vehicle broke down. He said he asked another driver for a jump, but when the other driver exited their vehicle, they displayed a baseball bat and knife. Abdullahi subsequently responded by brandishing mace.
"My client was obviously kind of upset that he was seeking neighborly help and was immediately labeled as a threat," Abdullahi's lawyer, Jeff Storms told KARE at the time.
When officers arrived, the lawsuit said they ordered Abdullahi to get off the street. Officer body-camera footage released in the aftermath of the encounter showed Abdullahi filming with his phone as an officer pushed him. Abdullahi went on to tell the officer he was going to press charges, and that's when, according to the lawsuit, another officer shoved Abdullahi to the ground.
Storms said he believed the police tried to cover up the physical altercation in its wake.
"They report effectively that Mr. Abdullahi lost his footing and fell," Storms said. "And then we have a false narrative and false charges to cover up what was unconstitutional conduct."
The details of the settlement, made public Thursday by the city of Minneapolis, showed the city council approved the funds, stating doing so was "in the best interests of the City."
Kristine Barfknecht, who also filed an excessive force claim against MPD in a separate incident was awarded $7,500 at the meeting, while Mai Vue Thao, whose vehicle was struck by a Minneapolis Canine Squad car, was awarded $115,000 for injuries and damages suffered in the crash.
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