A sheriff’s deputy in Washington is facing a lawsuit after he attacked an innocent Black man and falsely accused him of assault — even though the deputy’s own body camera recorded the truth.
The deputy, Samuel Turner from Spokane County, claimed that 35-year-old Joshua Clark had attacked him. But video footage shows it was actually Turner who attacked Clark after wrongly thinking he matched the description of another Black man.
After the violent arrest, Turner looked at Clark’s ID and realized he had the wrong person. He then muted his body camera for almost six minutes while explaining the situation to his sergeant, apparently trying to create a story to cover up his mistake.
What Happened During the Arrest
The incident happened on October 1, 2023. Clark was sitting in his van in front of an extended stay hotel where he lived with his mother. He was smoking a cigarette inside the van because he wasn’t allowed to smoke in the hotel room.
Body camera video shows Deputy Turner driving up, walking over, and opening the van door. Turner asked Clark if his name was “Willie.” Clark calmly said, “No.”
Turner claimed someone named Willie Frank Burns, who was trespassed from the hotel, was linked to the van. Clark explained that wasn’t true and tried to tell the deputy he wasn’t trespassing.
Despite Clark’s explanations, Turner kept demanding to see Clark’s ID. Clark refused, saying there was no reason for it. He even suggested Turner ask the hotel staff to confirm he wasn’t trespassing. But Turner didn’t listen.
Instead, Turner pulled Clark out of the van and onto the ground, accusing him of “fighting back,” even though the video shows Clark was only trying to protest the unlawful arrest. At no point does the video show Clark attacking Turner.
A witness can be heard off-camera telling Turner that Clark lived at the hotel and asking why he was being arrested.
Turner responded by saying, “I am conducting an investigation and he decided he wanted to fight with me,” even though Clark continued to insist he wasn’t fighting anyone.
False Charges and Later Lawsuit
After the arrest, Clark was charged with felony assault on a police officer, which could have led to a five-year prison sentence, along with two misdemeanors: obstruction and resisting arrest.
However, five months later, all the charges were dismissed.
Last week, Clark filed a lawsuit against Deputy Turner, Spokane Police Chief Dave Ellis, and the city. In the lawsuit, Clark’s lawyer said the entire situation was based on racism.
The lawsuit claims that Turner only stopped Clark because he was Black and looked similar to another Black man. It also says Turner’s actions fit a pattern where Black people are unfairly harassed, attacked, and arrested because they “match the description” of someone else.
Had there been no body camera footage, Clark could still be in jail today facing years behind bars.
Serious Accusations Against the Officer
Court documents originally claimed Clark had grabbed Turner around the neck in a “rear Guillotine chokehold,” but the video clearly shows that was not true. The footage, along with witness accounts, proves that the officer’s story was grossly inaccurate.
The lawsuit accuses Turner and the department of violating Clark’s rights by making an illegal stop, arresting him without reason, filing false charges, and using excessive force.