Incident

Incident Description

On August 22, 1974 William Johnson Jr. was stopped for a traffic check and was told there was a warrant out for his arrest. Johnson was arrested and taken to Precinct 12. While being booked a group of Buffalo Police officers, including McParlene, Sonberg, Bohen, and Dougherty, surrounded him, lifted him in the air, threw him on a table from which he fell onto the floor, and beat him. During this, Johnson's sister was yelling at the police to leave her brother alone.

Following the assault Johnson was booked and taken to the Precinct 3 cell block, since the cells in Precinct 12 has been condemned for a year at that point.

After midnight, a group of police approached Johnson's cell and told him to come out or they would come and get him. The police unlocked his cell, took Johnson out, and attacked him with a blackjack while the other officers continued beating him. Johnson blacked out and when he came to, Officers O'Malley and McParlene punched him back into his cell.

Around midnight on August 23rd, Johnson went back to Precinct 12 to retrieve his possessions that has been seized when he was arrested the previous night. Technician Dougherty confronted him in the station house and told him, "You think you're a tough guy. I ain't gonna give you shit." And Johnson told Dougherty he could take his things and "shove them up your ass," and then proceeded to walk out of the precinct. Dougherty followed him, yelling, "Hey punk...hey you tough guy...come here..." all the way into the street. Johnson turned and ran, and Officer Bohen thre his nightstick and hit Johnson on the head. The officers caught him, beat him, smashed his head into the ground, and handcuffed him. Johnson was then dragged to the precinct and booked for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

In the morning, Johnson went to the hospital, where he stayed for three days. Hospital records indicated that he had a fractured vertebrae, multiple bruises and swelling all over his back, front legs and arms, bruised ribs, numb fingers, blurred vision, and facial contusions.

Outcome

On October 24, in City Court, before Judge Honan, all charges against the seven police officers and one civilian police employee were dropped.