Man who was punched by Akron police sues city after his acquittal in resisting arrest case

An Akron man who was repeatedly punched in the face by Akron police officers in a traffic stop last summer is now suing the city and the two officers who conducted the stop.

The lawsuit, filed Friday morning by Jordan Ely and attorney Imokhai Okolo in the Northern Federal Court of Ohio, accuses the officers of excessive force, assault and battery and negligence while arresting Ely.

An Akron Municipal Court jury found Ely not guilty of resisting arrest in January. He pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl-related substances, a fourth-degree felony that was related to the incident.

Not guilty: Jordan Ely found not guilty of resisting arrest in forceful Akron police confrontation

Akron Municipal Court Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands tacked on additional probation time to an existing sentence. Ely was ordered to enter drug treatment.

A spokesperson for the city of Akron declined to comment, explaining the city does not comment on pending litigation.

Ely is seeking a jury trial and damages that have to be determined.

Attorney Imokhai Okolo says suit is about city, police accountability

For Okolo, the lawsuit is about continually holding the city of Akron and its police department accountable when officers mistreat residents.

After criminal trials, and with the support of clients like Ely, Okolo hopes to continue exerting pressure on the city through civil lawsuits. His goal, he said, is to litigate his way to change.

"We need to continue holding them accountable. This is what happens when there is a police department and city that doesn't hold their officers accountable," he said Monday.

Forceful arrest led ongoing legal battle

The incident took place at about 7 p.m. on July 1, 2023, in the Copley Road Family Dollar parking lot. It was recorded by body-worn police footage and bystanders who circulated cellphone videos on social media.

Footage showed Ely exiting his vehicle, leaving his 1-year-old son in the back seat, and going toward the rear of his vehicle.

That's when the two officers took him to the ground, arresting him. One officer wrapped his left arm around and under Ely's neck before punching him twice in the face and head.

With officers on him, Ely planted his left arm on the pavement and pushed his body up. The officers continued to tell him to stop resisting and give up his hands.

That's when an officer punched and flattened Ely to the ground, pushing his knee to Ely's back. As that happened, the officers can be heard telling him to stop resisting arrest.

Shortly after the arrest, officers found a 2.5-gram bag of white powder that tested positive for fentanyl.

Officers testified why they pulled Jordan Ely over

During Ely's trial, officers said they ran Ely's plates after he drove by their cruiser. They both testified that they fell back on their training, citing three reasons to run his plates.

Both officers said Ely was driving in a high-crime neighborhood in West Akron. They also saw him enter the oncoming traffic lane, another potential criminal indicator. As he drove by their cruiser, the officers reported he turned his head away from them.

Immediately following the trial , Okolo said the officers lacked probable cause and questioned their reasoning to run his plates. The Akron attorney repeated these concerns and the officers' testimonies in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Okolo accused the Akron Police Department of ignoring prior excessive force incidents involving both officers, some of which led to lawsuits that ended in favor of the arrested individual.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Man who was punched by Akron police sues city after his acquittal in resisting arrest case