ATLANTA — Two Atlanta police officers who were fired for pulling two college students from a car and deploying a Taser on them during protests are suing the city mayor and police chief.
Former Investigators Mark Gardner and Ivory Streeter filed a lawsuit against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Police Chief Erika Shields on Monday, Fox News reported.
The lawsuit accuses the City of Atlanta and its Police Department of firing them in violation of the city’s code, without investigation, proper notice, or a pre-disciplinary hearing.
Bottoms and Shields have said they reviewed body camera footage from the May 30 incident and decided to fire the officers and place three others on desk duty. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard brought criminal charges on June 2 against Gardner, Streeter and four other officers involved in the incident, Law Officer reported.
Gardner and Streeter are charged with aggravated assault — Gardner for using a Taser against 20-year-old Taniyah Pilgrim and Streeter for using a Taser against 22-year-old Messiah Young — according to warrants.
Pilgrim was released the night of the incident with no charges. Young was arrested and charged with eluding police. However, the mayor ordered the charges dropped.
In their lawsuit, the fired officers seek reinstatement to their jobs, as well as back pay and benefits. The suit states that the officers were denied due process and that the other officers who “engaged in substantially similar conduct” were not dismissed.
Fox News has reached out to the mayor’s office and the Atlanta Police Department seeking comment.
Lawyers for the college students have said their clients were caught in traffic caused by a protest.
