A Baltimore detective fighting a lawsuit for false imprisonment is mired in a second suit over allegations that he repeatedly beat and kicked a handcuffed boy in 2011.
A Baltimore detective fighting a lawsuit for false imprisonment is mired in a second suit involving allegations that he and other officers repeatedly beat and kicked a handcuffed boy in 2011.
Detective Ramon Lugo allegedly beat then-16-year-old Michael Cudnik Jr., when officers entered an apartment near Morrell Park in 2011. The officers had a search warrant for the boy's father, who lived in an apartment on the second floor, the lawsuit says.
The officers handcuffed Cudnik, who is now an adult, and beat and kicked him, according to the lawsuit. Cudnik was taken to Saint Agnes Hospital before being moved to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for a ruptured spleen and other injuries, the lawsuit says.
Attorneys for Lugo and the other officers have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, according to recent court filings. The lawyers also said the officers did not violate Cudnik's rights and made a lawful entry into the property.
Weeks after Cudnik's attorney notified the city that a lawsuit would be filed, officers charged Cudnik with hindering an investigation and failing to obey orders, according to the lawsuit. Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges and released Cudnik.
He is seeking more than $10 million in damages, although a Maryland law generally caps awards at $200,000.
The Police Department does not comment on pending litigation or allow officers to speak about it.
A Baltimore Sun investigation last year into police misconduct found that the city lacked a comprehensive tracking system to monitor officers who were sued several times for similar allegations. The department has since improved the monitoring system.
Lugo's other legal battle centers on accusations that he made misstatements in applying for a search warrant in 2012. After defense lawyers challenged the warrant, which was central to a drug case, a federal judge questioned Lugo's truthfulness.
The prosecution collapsed when questions were raised in court about inconsistencies in Lugo's search warrant application. After the detective acknowledged those inconsistencies, the judge expressed concern about "the reckless disregard for the truth." The next day, all charges against Devin Leroy Jones were dismissed, and he was freed.
Jones, 32, is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 in that lawsuit.