The mother of a 10-year-old Mississippi boy who was arrested last year for urinating in public is suing the city and several police officers for $2 million in damages.
Quantavius Eason was taken into custody on Aug. 10 after police found him urinating behind his mother’s car door in a Senatobia parking lot south of Memphis.
The third-year student, who was not handcuffed, was held at the jail for “45 minutes to an hour,” according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by the newspaper.
In the lawsuit, the boy’s mother, Latonya Eason, accuses the city of Senatobia, Police Chief Richard Chandler, former police officer Zachary Jenkins, and four unnamed officers for the boy’s “physical and emotional injuries.” The company is seeking $2 million in damages. My son survived the event.
Although the charges against Quantavius were ultimately dismissed, the lawsuit says the now 11-year-old boy continues to suffer “embarrassment, harassment, PTSD, shock, and other physical, mental, and traumatic injuries” from his arrest. is stated.
“When I see a police officer, I start shaking. He’s scared.” Eason told Action News 5. Immediately after submission on Wednesday.
According to the complaint, Quantavius was initially given a verbal warning by a Senatobia police officer who saw his mother relieve herself while she was in a nearby office building.
But minutes later, Jenkins and four other officers arrived at the scene and told Eason that his son “had to go to jail” for his actions, he continued.
Quantavius was later charged with being a child in need of assistance before being released into the care of his mother.
Chandler later called the arrest an “error in judgment” and the department acknowledged that the boy’s treatment “violated” its policies, Action 5 News reported.
At least one police officer was fired after the backlash, the paper said.
The judge ordered the boy to meet monthly with his probation officer, submit to unannounced drug tests, abide by a curfew and write a report on the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
However, Eason refused to sign a probation agreement, and the case was ultimately dismissed.
Now, the hurt mother wants to hold the city and police accountable for what attorney Carlos E. Moore claims is a violation of the child’s 14th Amendment rights.
“This lawsuit is not just a pursuit of justice for QE and the Eason family. It is a call for accountability and systemic change in law enforcement practices,” Moore said. explained at a recent press conference.
“We strongly believe that all individuals, regardless of age, have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by the people they are sworn to protect and serve,” he added.
Moore told Action 5 News that racism likely played a role in Quantavius’ treatment, and that a white child would probably not be arrested on the same charges.
The lawsuit also accuses Mr. Chandler, Mr. Jenkins and unnamed officers of using excessive force, and alleges that Mr. Chandler failed to properly train his officers.
The complaint mentions physical and psychological injuries to Quantavius, but does not specify how the injuries were allegedly caused.
Richard Chandler did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. The remaining defendants, including the city of Senatobia, could not immediately be reached.
“[The police are] We’re supposed to serve and protect and we’re not,” Eason lamented to Action 5 News.
This happened in Mississippi,” Moore said. “This happened in America. And we want to say to the city of Senatobia, you have to pay for what you did. Senatobia, you can pay now or you can pay later. You can pay for it, but believe me, you will pay for this family.”
