The unmarked Baton Rouge police warehouse facility that has since been closed.Photo:Baton Rouge Police Department
Baton Rouge Police Department
“Mrs. Brown informed the officers a minimum of four times that she is in lawful possession of the pills as they had been prescribed to her,” the lawsuit, which also names the city and Police Chief Murphy Paul Jr., states.
Her attorneys say her possession of the pills is not illegal. They claim that despite her pleas to officers, Brown was “forcibly” taken to the “Brave Cave,” a purported unmarked facility where members of the police department’s Street Crimes Unit “take suspects to interrogate them, gather intelligence, and attempt to ‘flip’ them to begin cooperating with BRPD.”
According to the lawsuit, the officers took Brown there because they suspected she might be “involved in illegal drug activity” and had to determine whether there was “probable cause” to arrest her.
Brown’s attorneys say she was held at the facility for over two hours, during which at least three officers — two of whom are identified in the lawsuit as Troy Lawrence Jr. and Matthew Wallace — allegedly subjected her to strip and body cavity searches without her consent.
Brown is the second person to have filed a lawsuit against the Baton Rouge Police Department and the city in recent weeks.
Like Brown’s filing, Lee’s filing names officers Lawrence Jr. and Wallace among the defendants.
Both lawsuits allege that Lawrence Jr., the son of BRPD Deputy Chief Troy Lawrence, has a history of complaints.
“Numerous incidents have involved Troy Lawrence Jr. needless escalating ordinary encounters, strip-searching Black citizens, and responding to criticism with violence,” Brown’s attorneys said in her lawsuit.
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According to Lee’s filing, Lawrence Jr. resigned from the job in late August. The status of Wallace’s employment is unclear.
NBC News, citing Police Chief Murphy Paul Jr., that Lawrence Jr. was arrested this week on suspicion of battery in a separate incident that allegedly took place while he was still on the force. It’s unclear if Lawrence Jr. has been formally charged, or if he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.
In response to the lawsuits, L’Jean McNeely, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge Police Department, provided a statement to PEOPLE on Friday.
“The Baton Rouge Police Department is committed to addressing these troubling accusations and has initiated administrative and criminal investigations,” the statement reads. “Chief Paul met with FBI officials and requested their assistance to ensure an independent review of these complaints. The Narcotics Processing Facility has been permanently closed and the Street Crimes Unit has been disbanded and reassigned.”
source: people.com
