Mount Vernon Awards $40,000 To Man Arrested For Fist Bump
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The City of Mount Vernon will pay $40,000 to a man who says police misinterpreted his fist-bump greeting as a drug transaction.
Basil Johnson, 49, was detained in 2010 on marijuana possession charges, but was acquitted by a jury in 2011.
Attorney Antoinette L. Williams, Johnson's lawyer, said her client was arrested after greeting an acquaintance on the street, the Journal News reported. There was no marijuana in his possession.
He sued the city in 2012 seeking damages for unlawful arrest and other alleged policing lapses.
The Mount Vernon Board of Estimate and Contract voted on Johnson's settlement Tuesday.
Corporation Counsel Lauren P. Raysor told Mayor Ernest Davis that one of the arresting officers refused to testify.
Williams said Johnson is "reasonably satisfied'' with the settlement.
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