Jackson v. Carin

CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedMarch 2, 2020
Docket8:19-cv-00564
StatusUnknown

This text of Jackson v. Carin (Jackson v. Carin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Carin, (D. Md. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND Southern Division

* ANGELO LAMONT JACKSON, *

Plaintiff, *

v. * Case No.: 8:19-cv-00564-PWG

MICHAEL CARIN, OFFICER, *

Defendant. *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

Angelo Lamont Jackson (“Jackson”) filed this lawsuit against Detective Michael Carin of the Montgomery County Police Department, claiming violations of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Articles 24 and 26 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights, and asserting a Maryland State claim for gross negligence in connection with Detective Carin’s alleged application for an arrest warrant for Jackson without probable cause. Compl., ECF No 1. Detective Carin has filed a motion to dismiss, contending that the Complaint does not state any claims upon which relief can be granted because the warrant was based on probable cause, and if not, he is entitled to qualified immunity because his actions were objectively reasonable. Mot. to Dismiss, ECF No. 11. For the reasons that follow, I will deny the motion to dismiss. FACTUAL BACKGROUND On January 10, 2017, two men were stabbed to death during a conflict at the Westfield Wheaton Mall in Wheaton, Maryland.1 Compl. ¶ 9. Part of the conflict was captured on the Mall’s security surveillance video system. The footage shows one man (the “assailant”) who is black, has a dark complexion, appears six feet tall, is in his twenties, and is physically strong. Id. ¶¶ 13- 21. This man got into an altercation with four other men, two of whom he stabbed. Id. ¶¶ 27, 31.

The man then absconded. Id. ¶ 29. At the time of the murders, Jackson was in Germantown, Maryland, about forty minutes away from Wheaton, Maryland. Id. ¶ 32. Had Detective Carin checked, Jackson’s location would have been corroborated by multiple witnesses and cell phone records. Id. ¶¶ 34-35. Detective Carin was assigned as the lead investigator for the two murders. Id. ¶ 36. As part of his investigation, he obtained the surveillance footage and from which he captured a still picture of the assailant’s face. Id. ¶ 46. In an effort to identify the assailant, the picture was circulated to the public and the surveillance video was circulated to other Montgomery County Police officers. Id. ¶¶ 46, 48. At least one officer communicated to Detective Carin that the

assailant “resembled” Jackson, but “did not make a confirmed positive identification.” Id. ¶¶ 49, 51. And at least one other officer disagreed that Jackson resembled the assailant. Id. ¶ 54. No person from the public identified Jackson as the man in the still. Id. ¶ 47. Detective Carin obtained a photograph of Jackson for comparison purposes. Id. ¶ 55. The photograph of Jackson depicts a black man, who appears younger than the assailant, with a slighter build, a significantly smaller nose, lighter skin, and is shorter than the assailant. Id. ¶¶ 56-58.

1 The facts of the case are taken from the Complaint (ECF No. 1) and are assumed to be true for purposes of ruling on Defendants’ motion to dismiss. See Kensington Volunteer Fire Dep’t, Inc. v. Montgomery Cty., 684 F.3d 462, 467 (4th Cir. 2012). “[W]hen all the differences were taken together, it was, or should have been apparent to Carin that the picture of [Jackson] did not match the perpetrator on the surveillance video.” Id. ¶ 59. Lastly, part of Detective Carin’s investigation before writing and affirming under oath the accuracy of the facts supporting the Application for Statement of Charges (“Application”) was interviewing eyewitnesses to the incident, two of whom were the two survivors of the attack. Id.

¶¶ 40-41. The two eyewitnesses were never shown the picture of Jackson or an in-person lineup of Jackson for identification purposes, and neither of them identified Jackson as the perpetrator. Id. ¶¶ 43-45. Detective Carin wrote in the Application the following concerning Jackson: The suspect was identified by Montgomery County Police officers who have had prior law enforcement contacts with the suspect. The officers identified the suspect as Angelo Lamont Jackson (B/M; DOB 03/26/1999). Investigators obtained a photograph of Angelo Lamont Jackson. That photograph matched the suspect depicted in the video.

Appl. For Statement of Charges (“Appl.”) 2, ECF No. 1-4. Neither the still from the surveillance video nor the picture of Jackson was included in the Application. Compl. ¶ 61. A Commissioner approved the arrest warrant and on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, Detective Carin arrested Jackson. Id. ¶ 80. Jackson communicated to Detective Carin that he did not commit any crimes at the Wheaton Mall, however Detective Carin charged Jackson with two counts of first-degree murder. Id. at 83. After further investigation, Detective Carin “obtained cell phone records, witness statements confirming [Jackson]’s alibi, and other exculpatory evidence confirming that [Jackson] was not the suspect depicted on the video.” Id. ¶ 91. Detective Carin did not communicate this exculpatory information to the Prosecutor, and as a result, Jackson was detained for approximately sixty-five days. Id. ¶¶ 93-94. A grand jury returned an indictment against Jackson for murder.2 Def.’s Mem. 3 n.1, ECF No. 11-1. In March 2017, prosecutors dropped all charges against Jackson, because there was insufficient evidence to proceed “in part based on the determination that the suspect shown on the surveillance video was not [Jackson]. Jackson filed this lawsuit against Detective Carin asserting five claims: (1) violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, i.e. unlawful pretrial detention, (2) violation of 42

U.S.C. § 1983 based on a violation of the Fourth Amendment, i.e. unlawful detention, (3) violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 based on a violation of the Fourth Amendment, i.e. malicious prosecution, (4) violations of Articles 24 and 26 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights, and (5) gross negligence. See Compl. at 11-18. Defendants seek to dismiss the Complaint under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Mot. to Dismiss 1. The parties have fully briefed their arguments. See ECF Nos. 11, 12, 13. No hearing is necessary. See Loc. R. 105.6. Because Jackson has alleged facts sufficient to allow a reasonable trier of fact to find the warrant for his arrest was not based on probable cause, and that Detective Carin’s actions were not in accordance with clearly established

law, the motion to dismiss is denied. STANDARD OF REVIEW Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) provides for the dismissal of a complaint if it fails “to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” A motion pursuant to this rule “tests the sufficiency of a complaint; it does not, however, ‘resolve contests surrounding the facts, the merits of a claim, or the applicability of defenses.’” King v. Rubenstein, 825 F.3d 206, 214 (4th Cir.

2 This fact is not included in Jackson’s complaint, however, as Fed. R. Evid. 201 allows, I take judicial notice of the fact that on January 27, 2017, a grand jury indicted Jackson for murder. Colonial Penn Ins. Co. v. Coil, 887 F.2d 1236, 1239 (4th Cir.

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Jackson v. Carin, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-carin-mdd-2020.