Two Atlanta college students, Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim, will receive a $2 million settlement following a lawsuit against the Atlanta Police Department. The lawsuit, filed in June 2021, stemmed from an incident on May 30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests.
The students were tased and forcibly removed from their car while stuck in traffic. The incident was captured on video, leading to public outrage and immediate action by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and then-Police Chief Erica Shields. Two officers were fired, and three others were placed on desk duty.
Police body cam footage showed Young, who was in the driver’s seat, filming the incident as officers approached and opened his car door. Despite his pleas to release a young man in custody, the officers escalated the situation by attempting to break his car window with a baton and ultimately tasing him and Pilgrim.
Also, read; Eritrean Cyclist Biniam Girmay Makes History as First Black Rider to Win a Tour de France Stage
In the footage, officers were heard shouting commands and falsely claiming that Young had a gun, although no weapon was found. The Atlanta City Council approved the settlement, stating that it was not an admission of liability.
Pilgrim’s lawyers emphasized the emotional toll on the students, who were subjected to “unjustifiable excessive force.” Young’s lawyer, Mawuli Davis, noted that the settlement allows the students and their families to continue healing and underscores the ongoing fight against police brutality.