EDWARDSVILLE — An African American male and female are suing a Collinsville police officer after they were allegedly mistaken for two male robbery suspects and wrongfully detained at gunpoint.
Desnikka Kilpatrick and Joshua Wiley filed a complaint March 25 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Melissa Cooper, alleging violation of Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The plaintiffs allege in their complaint that they were leaving their home in Collinsville in their BMW on March 1 when an unmarked Collinsville Police car and more than five other police vehicles followed them and pulled them over. They claim Cooper was among about ten officers who exited their vehicles and approached them with most of the officers drawing their firearms. They further allege they were handcuffed and held at gunpoint for about eight minutes and then released after they were told it was a case of mistaken identity.
According to their suit, the plaintiffs claim they were mistaken for two black males wanted for a robbery that occurred eight days earlier and that the only reason they were stopped was because they were black and driving a BMW. They alleged no "reasonable police officer" would justify stopping them based on the "knowledge they possessed at the time of the stop."
The plaintiffs seek compensation of more than $50,000 and all other just relief. They are represented by Thomas Maag of The Maag Law Firm LLC and Dennis French in Du Quoin.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 21-L-000367