Guard For CNN News Crew Sues Minnesota State Patrol For Arrest During George Floyd Protests
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Ben Crump, the attorney for the families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of a Black man who was arrested during last year's unrest while working security for a CNN news crew.
In a statement released Tuesday, Crump's law firm says that Michael Cooper was arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol on May 30, 2020, for a curfew violation and unlawful possession of a firearm and held for nearly 20 hours in the Hennepin County Jail.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday, alleges that Cooper's civil rights were violated as while he was working alongside several white press members, he was the one arrested.
According to Crump, Cooper is a retired law enforcement veteran in his mid-60s who was hired to protect a CNN news crew following an incident where a reporter was arrested on live television. The law firm says that Cooper held a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm.
Cooper is seeking over $1 million in damages. CNN is not a party to the case.
"How many times will the country need to see this script play out, where a Black man is treated differently by police than other people in the same situation?" attorney Christopher O'Neal said in a statement.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
