Attorney Harold Spence of the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Firm joined On Point with Juandolyn Stokes before their scheduled press conference to share that his firm would be filing a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Atlanta and Officer Kiran Kimbrough on behalf of the family Deacon Johnny Hollman Sr. who died on August 10, 2023 after an encounter with Kimbrough over a minor traffic accident.
According to Spence, Kimbrough was angered by Hollman's resistance to sign a traffic ticket. Hollman was returning from Bible study when Kimbrough showed up after an hour to investigate the accident in which he found Hollman at-fault.
Hollman requested his superior, but instead was threatened with jail. Hollman relented and agreed to sign the ticket, but he was taken to the ground and tased with the assistance tow truck driver, Eric Robinson. This action resulted in Hollman's death.
The procedure, which Kimbrough did not follow, was to advise Hollman that signing the ticket was not an admission of guilt and not signing the ticket could mean he would face bond in front of a judge, says Spence.
Since then, "The City of Atlanta has changed its policy," said Spence.
The new policy says citizens who refuse tickets can no longer be arrested. Instead, Officers will just write "refused to sign."
Additionally, the District Attorney and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have agreed that police involved in encounters that result in a death or injury must release the video footage of the incident within 60 days after all witnesses have been interviewed.
"This is shining a light on police activity and misconduct. The community rose up and demanded these changes." Said Spence.
The civil rights complaint will be filed in Federal Court.
