Minneapolis City Council approves $50K settlement for man who was shoved by MPD officer
An image from a police body camera included in a federal lawsuit allegedly shows MPD Officer Sergio Villegas pushing Said Abdullahi.
The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday approved a $50,000 settlement for a man who was shoved by a Minneapolis police officer.
The settlement was approved unanimously, according to the City Council agenda.
As previously reported, Said Abdullahi filed a federal lawsuit against the city and two officers, Sergio Villegas and Daniel Barlow, alleging that the officers used excessive force against him and detained him without cause.
According to the lawsuit, Abdullahi’s car broke down on April 22, 2022, near the intersection of East Franklin Avenue and Cedar Avenue. He approached a man in a parked car for help but the man threatened him and called police.
When Villegas and Barlow responded, they acknowledged that there was no threat but insulted Abdullahi. The lawsuit says that the man in the car and Abdullahi kept yelling at each other and the two officers mocked Abdullahi when he asked to speak with a supervisor.
Abdullahi filmed the interaction and claimed that Barlow pushed him twice. After he said he wanted to press charges, Villegas “violently pushed (him) to the pavement,” leaving a scar.
The lawsuit says that the officers then arrested Abdullahi and he was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The case was later dismissed.