In 2016, a 27-year-old autistic man sat in the middle of the road with a toy truck. Police surrounded him with their guns drawn. A behavioral therapist, Charles Kinsley, went outside, unarmed, to try and keep the young man from being shot. Despite being unarmed, Kinsley was shot in the leg. The shooting caused a massive uproar. In an interesting turn of events from this incident, North Miami Police Commander Emile Hollant filed a federal lawsuit against the North Miami city government, the police department, and other named individuals. Hollant alleges that he was the victim of slander, racism, and that his constitutional rights were violated.
Hollant Accused of Making Misleading Statements to Investigators
In the federal complaint, Hollant alleges that the city of North Miami falsely accused him of making misleading statements about the incident to investigators tasked with determining whether Hollant committed a crime. On July 22, 2016, North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin publicly stated that Hollant was “betraying the badge.”
