Lawsuit: N. Charleston officer ‘slams’ man to ground without cause, arrests him

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of North Charleston is facing a new lawsuit after police body cam footage shows an officer ‘slamming’ a man to the ground, injuring him, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit filed in Charleston County alleges two North Charleston police officers were responding to the Motel 6 on Ashley Phosphate Road on March 11, 2022. Quincy Vaughn, who is filing the suit, was staying at the motel at the time, and his cousin was visiting him, according to the court documents.

Vaughn alleges in the suit the officers, PFC Stoilov and PFC Bonnell, placed his cousin under arrest for trespassing. The body camera footage shows the situation escalating when Vaughn starts to question ‘why’ his cousin is being placed under arrest. Vaughn can be heard in the audio from the recording saying, “you better let him out.”

Officer Stoilov responds, “Or what?”

The full video was posted on YouTube by Vaughn’s attorney Daniel Boles of Boles Law Firm, LLC.

Vaughn was injured as a result of the incident, according to the documents. Boles says Vaughn has been to the neurologist and a concussion specialist following what the documents call the “clothesline maneuver” executed by Officer Stoilov. Vaughn was taken to the hospital shortly after the incident and faced a breach of peace charge and a $100 bond.

Boles sent the Use of Force report filed a few weeks after the incident on March 29. Those documents say the actions performed by Officer Stoilov were appropriate and within department policy.

The lawsuit says the actions were excessive and negligent on behalf of the city. The suit states:

Defendant departed from the duties of care required by law enforcement officers and agencies that hire, train and employ these officers and were thereby negligent, careless, grossly negligent, reckless and acted in violation of the duties owed to Plaintiff…

Attorney Daniel Boles says, “The city and its officers will be held accountable for this assault.”

Spokesman Ryan Johnson with the City of North Charleston gave this statement on the incident:

A complaint stemming from Mr. Vaughn’s March 11th arrest was previously lodged with the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD.)  NCPD Internal Affairs investigated the complaint. After review, the NCPD took corrective steps to address aspects of the arrest.

NCPD is committed to constant improvement. Internal Affairs review of such matters is an important part of the process and NCPD appreciates the complaint being brought to its attention.

The North Charleston Police Department says they cannot comment on pending litigation. Officials have not yet responded to questions about the officers’ employment status.

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