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A federal civil rights trial in Maryland may set a precedent for police accountability. An ex-officer claims he was fired for refusing to cover up police brutality.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — A federal civil rights trial is set to begin in Maryland on Monday. One of the lawyers trying the case said it could set a critical precedent for police accountability.
Mohamed Magassouba was a former Prince George’s County police officer for 12 years. His lawyer said he was forced out of his job because he refused to cover up police brutality.
Magassouba’s attorney, Jordan Howlette, said the termination stemmed from an incident in 2019 that was captured on a cell phone. It showed Magassouba responding as backup to assist a white officer who was arresting a black woman in Prince George’s County.
“They tried to coerce him into changing his witness statement that he made that night, to justify the use of force that is reflected in the video, to protect the white officer. He refused to do so, he chose integrity over institutional loyalty,” said Howlette
Howlette said, for the next 30 months, Magassouba was discriminated against for a number of things, including his African heritage, and was fired in 2021.
“He didn’t give up, and about seven months later, in February of 2022, he joined the Capitol Heights Police Department. And this year, just to underscore who he is as a person, he was named Chief of Police of that department,” said Howlette.
Court documents show Prince George’s County has denied all of Magassouba’s claims of racial discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment.
In a legal response, lawyers representing the defendants in the case said Magassouba’s termination was “based on reasonable factors other than race and national origin.”
Magassuba’s allegations happened while then Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski was leading the department.
Stawinski resigned in 2020 after an expert report related to a separate federal lawsuit filed by the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Officers Association detailed alleged incidents of racial discrimination, retaliation, and abuse within the department.
The federal trial is set to begin Monday morning in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. It is expected to last seven to 10 days.
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