WASHINGTON — A lawsuit against a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who allegedly choked and hog-tied a 12-year-old boy in 2010 has been settled on undisclosed terms, court filings show. The 2012 lawsuit alleged that Ferguson Police Officer Justin Cosma, who was then serving as a police officer in Jefferson County, Missouri, and his then-colleague Richard Carter approached the shirtless 12-year-old as the boy was checking his mailbox at the end of his driveway. “Unprovoked and without cause, the deputies grabbed [the boy], choked him around the neck and threw him to the ground,” the lawsuit, which was filed by the victim’s family, said. The officers allegedly then “hog tied” the young boy…
WASHINGTON — A lawsuit against a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who allegedly choked and hog-tied a 12-year-old boy in 2010 has been settled on undisclosed terms, court filings show.
The 2012 lawsuit alleged that Ferguson Police Officer Justin Cosma, who was then serving as a police officer in Jefferson County, Missouri, and his then-colleague Richard Carter approached the shirtless 12-year-old as the boy was checking his mailbox at the end of his driveway.
“Unprovoked and without cause, the deputies grabbed [the boy], choked him around the neck and threw him to the ground,” the lawsuit, which was filed by the victim’s family, said. The officers allegedly then “hog tied” the young boy, which means they restrained him by tying his hands to his feet. The child, according to the lawsuit, “suffered bruising, choke marks, scrapes and cuts across his body” due to his treatment by the officers, and had to be “transported to a medical facility for medical treatment.”
The suit alleged that the force used by Cosma and his colleague was “unreasonable and excessive” and that the young child was “unable to protect himself.”
Cosma and his colleague then allegedly attempted to charge the child with “assault of a law enforcement officer third degree” and “resisting/interfering with arrest, detention or stop.” But the suit said that prosecutors refused to take the case.
A federal judge granted a motion to dismiss the case this week after being notified of the settlement.
The lawsuit was filed shortly after Cosma joined the Ferguson Police Department in 2012. It is unclear why the officer left the larger Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to join the small police department in Ferguson.
Richard R. Lozano, a lawyer who represented the boy, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Jason S. Retter, the attorney representing the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the two officers.
Back in August, Cosma assisted in taking this reporter into custody at a McDonald’s in Ferguson as demonstrations were taking place far down the street in connection with the death of Michael Brown. In that incident, Cosma refused to identify himself or any of his colleagues from the St. Louis County Police Department, none of whom were wearing name plates.
Cosma is just one of many officers in the Ferguson Police Department whose actions have come under scrutiny. The Justice Department is currently conducting a so-called pattern or practice investigation of the Ferguson Police Department.
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Lawsuit Settled Involving Ferguson Officer Who Allegedly Choked, Hog-Tied A 12-Year-Old
