The American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department for the “unconstitutional and exceedingly invasive bodily search,” of a District resident, according to a press release.
MPD officer Joshua Wilson performed a search on Mbalaminwe Mwimanzi, 33, that resulted in an ambulance ride because of severe pain in his testicles and anus, according to a press release.
“They had already searched me twice before and found nothing, so to search me a third time and to humiliate me like that in front of everyone was dehumanizing,” said Mwimanzi, who immigrated from Tanzania as a child.
On Jan. 15, 2019, Mr. Mwimanzi was hanging out at a friends house in Petworth when MPD officers broke down the door to execute a search warrant for drugs and drug paraphernalia, which did not authorize the search of residents or people on the property.
The officers, however forced everyone down on the ground, handcuffed them and patted them down, including Mr. Mwimanzi. After the initial search, and Mr. Mwimanzi was search again by another police officer.
Even though Mr. Wilson confirmed Mr. Mwimanzi had already been searched, the office asked him to search, stand up and spread his legs.
In that search, Mr. Wilson, “pressed his hand into Mwimanzi’s buttocks, causing severe pain. He moved to Mwimanzi’s testicles, rubbing and jamming them against his leg, again causing excruciating pain. Mwimanzi screamed in protest. Ofc. Wilson repeated the molestation of his scrotum despite his screams,” according to the press release.
No drugs or paraphernalia were found in the house or on anybody in the house.
This is the fourth lawsuit the ACLU has brought against MPD for sexually invasive searches in recent years.
“Officer Wilson’s search of Mr. Mwimanzi was reprehensible and degrading, and as we now know from our previous cases, it’s far from an isolated incident,” said Michael Perloff, attorney for the ACLU-DC. “This appears to be an all-too-common tactic MPD officers have used against countless individuals, and it must stop now.”
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.