The lawsuit, filed by nine demonstrators on August 28, 2014, allege police unlawfully arrested, beat, deployed tear gas and bullets at them during the Ferguson protests.

The Washington D.C. college student who was chased, tackled, and injured by police gave the ironic explanation commonly used by officers in fatal shootings -- the same valid declaration uttered by many in communities of color when encountering those sworn to protect them -- he feared for his life.