‘Was No Threat to Anyone’: Lawsuit Says Ohio Cops and Bar Staff Slammed, Held Down, and Beat Black Student After He Walked In Through the ‘Wrong’ Door
It was after midnight when Devin Johnson walked into a bar through an exit gate in Ohio in 2023, only to get shoved out by several employees who continued shoving him down the sidewalk, tackling him to the ground until a police officer arrived and punched him several times on the back of his head. Johnson, a then-20-year-old student and football player at Miami University, had been celebrating with teammates after beating the University of Buffalo and clinching a berth in the Mid-American Conference championship game. Devin Johnson, left, a college football player, has filed a lawsuit after he was beaten by two Ohio cops while bar employees held him down after he had walked back into the bar through an exit door. (Photo: gosycamores.com and surveillance video screenshot) But at one point, he stepped out of the Brick Street bar in Oxford for fresh air where he had already paid a cover charge to enter, according to a federal lawsuit filed Nov. 18, accusing the staff, cops and city of conspiring against him to violate his Fourth Amendment rights. And when he tried to walk back into the bar, he entered through a gated door into a patio that was meant to be exit only, prompting employees to shove him back out of the bar. ‘Get Off Me!’: Former Black Marine Captain Body-Slammed by Military Police — Then Challenges Their Authority In a Move That Instantly Turns the Tables The bar staff claims Johnson shoved past a female bar employee and punched a male employee, bloodying his lip — but that is not clear in the security footage obtained from the bar. Johnson, who was charged with assault, resisting arrest, underage intoxication and criminal trespass, was found guilty by a jury on the assault and resisting arrest charges but not guilty on the underage drinking charge. The trespass charge ended in a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a verdict. But judging by the video footage released that contains no audio, it was Johnson who was assaulted by several employees who held him down on the ground after he had been kicked out, allowing two Oxford cops to run up and join in the assault. Watch the video below. 'Three Closed-Fist Strikes' The incident took place in the early hours of Nov. 18, 2023, a Friday evening spilling into a Saturday morning, and the bar was packed with college students celebrating Miami University’s victory over the University of Buffalo. The lawsuit describes Johnson as a “paying customer” who stepped out of the bar at 1 a.m. for fresh air but when he tried to walk back in through the same gate he had walked out of, it was locked. The video shows Johnson trying to open the gate but then walking down the sidewalk to another door after finding it locked. Johnson then walked into another exit gate after spotting two women walking out, only to be confronted by bar employees, who shoved him back out of the bar. The video shows that Johnson then shoved an employee back after he had been shoved outside which then prompted several employees to start shoving him down the sidewalk and tackle him. Oxford police officer Matthew Blauvelt, who was working security for the bar, was the first to arrive and began punching Johnson several times on the back of the head. Oxford Officer Paul Hellwarth then arrived and began kneeing Johnson on the side of his body while he was being held down the other cop and bar employees. According to the claim: After being held in the uncomfortable position by Brick Street employees, Devin attempted to adjust his position. He was otherwise subdued by the Brick Street employees, unable to sit up or stand, and was no threat to anyone around him, including without limitation Officer Blauvelt. Upon adjusting his body, however, Blauvelt forcibly pushed Devin to the ground by his face. By that point, Blauvelt still hadn’t announced himself as a police officer and had given Devin no instructions. Officer Blauvelt then delivered three closed-fisted strikes to the back of Devin’s head and neck. At that point, Blauvelt still hadn’t identified himself as a police officer, delivered any instructions to Devin, or placed Devin under arrest. And Devin still couldn’t see who was punching him. Nor did he have any way of knowing that Blauvelt was a police officer. ‘Private Security Force’ The lawsuit lists both cops as defendants along with the city of Oxford and the owner of the bar, Mark Weisman, accusing the owner of having a “private security force” provided by the city. It also accuses Weisman of refusing to release video footage from the bar, claiming that none of the cameras captured it on video. But on Dec. 26, 2023, more than a month after the incident, a video that had been recorded by a witness showing the cop punching Johnson went viral on TikTok, which led to Blauvelt being placed on administrative leave. The bar owners then released videos of the incident on Jan. 3, 2024, explaining they did not do so earlier because it was not “relevant” – which is debatable. In the Spring of 2024, Devin was found guilty of misdemeanor charges of assault and resisting arrest for which he received one year of probation along with a $1,000 fine. But the claim states it is not challenging the conviction, only the manner in how he was physically assaulted. “He challenges only objectively unreasonable force used against him by the police in connection with the minor misdemeanors for which he was convicted and for which he served no jail time,” the claim states. He further challenges the role of Brick Street Bar and Weisman as a co-conspirator with the City and OPD.” Johnson has since transferred to Indiana State University where he plays defensive end for the school’s football team. But the incident from the Brick Street bar still affects him today. “The events of November 18, 2023, and its aftermath have left Devin with anxiety, PTSD, and stress due to his encounters with the police,” the claim states.
