NLV officers sued by man they handcuffed

Thursday, April 11, 2002 | 11:03 a.m.

A Clark County man has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that three North Las Vegas Police officers pulled him over, pointed their guns at him and handcuffed him because he was black.

According to the suit, Roosevelt Johnson, 56, was driving south on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Craig Road on Feb. 23 when he was pulled over and ordered out of his car by Officers Mario Noriega, Randy Laswell and Robert Kryszczuk.

Johnson was told by the officers to walk backward, kneel and place his hands on his head, according to the suit that was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

Acting North Las Vegas Police Chief Joseph Forti is also named in the suit, which has been joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

Johnson seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages, saying he suffered "emotional injuries including but not limited to severe embarrassment, humiliation and fear for his life."

The suit alleges that the three officers searched Johnson's Nissan Altima and wallet and would not explain to him why he was pulled over.

The suit states that Johnson was later told by a police supervisor that he had been stopped "because someone had a gun at the Starbucks store" and that the suspect was "wearing flip-flops" and was "driving a Toyota or Nissan."

The suit alleges the North Las Vegas department failed to train and discipline its officers, leading to a tolerance for detaining, arresting and searching citizens without reasonable suspicion, and based solely on race or ethnicity.

North Las Vegas Police had not received a copy of the suit this morning, and Lt. Art Redcay said that it is department policy not to comment on ongoing suits.