Lawsuit Accuses Police in Massachusetts of Excessive Force During 2020 George Floyd Protest

A class action lawsuit filed in federal court this week accuses Worcester Police of excessive force during a George Floyd protest in the city on June 1, 2020. Eleven people have joined the suit claiming they were bystanders and not involved in the clash that escalated after protesters gathered in downtown Worcester.

One of the plaintiffs is Richard Cummings, a photojournalist who was on the sidewalk videotaping the mayhem, saying he had permission to be on the sidewalk but was arrested, he believes, when police didn’t like what he was capturing. “Out of nowhere they grabbed me, arrested and whacked me around a bit. They took everything from me including my camera,” said Cummings.

Officers outfitted in riot gear used pepper spray, smoke grenades and pepper ball rounds into a crowd of about 70 people. The group threw rocks and fireworks back in retaliation as the incident turned into a riot. Just hours earlier the police department’s chief had knelt in solidarity with protesters.

Read more at CBSNews.com.