HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — Two Hillsboro police officers are going to trial for allegedly deploying a Taser on a bicyclist who says his only crime was forgetting a headlight on his bike.
Jermaine Robinson says he believes the officers treated him inappropriately because he’s African American.
The Hillsboro resident was pulled over in 2012 while riding his bicycle on a sidewalk near TV Highway. Police claim he didn’t obey a stoplight and was riding without a proper light on his bike.
After being stopped by police, Robinson allegedly refused to disclose his name. He says he clung tightly to the handlebars of his bicycle before officers deployed a Taser on him two times.
Eventually, four officers got Robinson into handcuffs and took him into custody.
A year later, he was found not guilty of resisting arrest.
He’s since filed his own lawsuit against the officers and the City of Hillsboro.
According to court documents, Robinson claims he continually asked officers why he was pulled over at the time of the incident. By holding onto his bike’s handlebars, he says he kept his hands in plain sight.
Robinson also maintains that he never tried to get away or threatened the officers.
A judge ruled in his favor saying, “These are simply not the kind of threatening circumstances or conduct that would conclusively justify the use of a Taser to blast a suspect into submission.”
The judge’s ruling is not final, it means the case will now to go to trial.
KOIN 6 News will continue to update this story as it develops.
Filed under: Crime, Local News, Oregon, Washington County
