BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The City of Bellingham approved a settlement in an excessive force lawsuit against a former Bellingham Police Officer.
The Bellingham City Council unanimously voted to authorize the mayor to dismiss the lawsuit and to pay $175,000 to the man who filed suit, 25-year-old Joshua Travis Smith.
In a post on the police department’s Facebook Page, Chief David Doll said the police department found the actions of officer Brooks Owen Laughlin were justified and within policy.
Smith argued that his civil rights were violated, that he suffered physical and emotional injuries, and that he remains traumatized by Laughlin’s actions while arresting him in 2017.
In 2018, Laughlin was found guilty of several charges related to domestic abuse and he is currently behind bars.
https://www.facebook.com/bellinghampolice/posts/1669173336539752
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