Black Motorist Pursuing Legal Action After Being Shot At By New Jersey Police Who Unloaded Bullets As He Tried To Drive Away

A Black driver shot by Bloomfield, New Jersey police during an arrest attempt relating to open felony warrants in 2020 is suing the town and involved officers for excessive force and conspiracy. Jeffrey Sutton maintains that he did not attempt to ram the police with his 2015 Mercedes-Benz on November 9, 2020—a claim corroborated by body cam, dash cam, and witness footage revealed by News12 New Jersey the subsequent year.At that time, Sutton, aged 42, was wanted for armed robbery and aggravated assault. When Bloomfield officers intercepted him, he initially did not recognize them as police and reversed his vehicle in fear. Identifying the officers, he complied by stopping and turning off his engine, despite facing aggressive actions.The lawsuit further alleges that systemic racial bias influenced the police's response and critiques the Bloomfield Police Department for a troubling pattern of constitutional rights violations against Black individuals. Sutton is pursuing a jury trial for damages following permanent injuries sustained during the incident. (Photos: Jahid Sutton Facebook profile, Bloomfield Police Department video screenshot)