PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania resident is suing the City of Philadelphia, Lt. Bill, and Joseph Carter, citing alleged federal civil rights violations.
Thomas Baker filed a complaint on Nov. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the defendants, alleging an illegal entry into a citizen's home.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Nov. 8, 2016, he while watching TV, Bill and other defendant police officers entered his home without warning or warrant of arrest and seized and took his son outside. As Baker was calling 911, Bill warned him that he was not going to file a report if he knew what was good for him, the suit claims.
Plaintiff was able to make a second call to 911 and a sergeant who came to his house advised him not to bother going to the 8th District but rather go to the Internal Affairs Bureau on Dungan Road instead, the suit says.
The plaintiff holds City of Philadelphia, Lt. Bill, Joseph Carter and others responsible because the defendants Bill and other police officers allegedly acted deliberately or with reckless disregard of plaintiff's constitutional and statutory rights. The Internal Affairs Bureau never investigated or prepared any report of the incident, allegedly a violation of Philadephia Police Department directive. Plaintiff also claims the City of Philadelphia failed to properly sanction or discipline the officers.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees and costs, and other further reasonable reliefs. He is represented by Patrick Geckle of Patrick G. Geckle LLC in Philadelphia.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case No. is 2:18-cv-04815-JP.