LANCASTER, Pa. — A Virginia man has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Lancaster, the Lancaster chief of police, and a Lancaster police officer, accusing the officer of stopping him for no reason, arresting him for a crime he did not commit, and eventually landing him in prison for 10 months.
Sha-ki Staten, 26, claims in the lawsuit that he was a victim of false arrest and malicious prosecution. He also claims he was denied his right to due process and that the City of Lancaster and Police Chief Jarrad Berkheiser failed to properly claim the arresting officer, Brandon McCormick, thereby denying Staten his Constitutional rights under the Fourth and Fifth amendments.
Among other things, Staten's lawsuit seeks payment for past and future damages, emotional pain and suffering, and attorney's fees.
In the lawsuit, Staten says he was walking on Duke Street in the city on Sept. 2, 2018, when McCormick stopped him.
Staten complied with the request to stop and answered McCormick's questions, he says in the lawsuit.
"Nothing about (Staten's) conduct or answers would have led a reasonable officer to believe that there was reasonable suspicion that (Staten) had committed or would commit a crime," the lawsuit says.
But McCormick then continued the investigation by running Staten's name through his computer system, where he learned Staten was on parole. McCormick then "baselessly" accused Staten of placing a gun underneath a nearby vehicle and arrested him, the lawsuit claims.
Staten wound up serving 10 months in prison, the lawsuit says.
On July 1, 2019, a Lancaster County assistant district attorney filed a formal notice in court stating that the charges against Staten "cannot proceed — should not have been charged — insufficient evidence" and requested the charges be dropped, the lawsuit says.
Staten was then released from prison after being confined for nearly a year, the lawsuit says.
