Boston police chasing white suspect wrongly arrested Black man, lawsuit says

Officer was pursuing a suspected thief when Donovan Johnson walked by and was pinned down, according to lawsuit

A police officer in suburban Boston who was pursuing a white suspect pinned a 20-year-old Black man to the ground and placed a knee on the man's neck despite having no evidence he was involved in any crime, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on Wednesday.

Donovan Johnson was minutes from home after leaving work in February 2021 when the white officer ran up, drew his gun and threw Johnson to the snow-covered ground face first, the lawsuit filed against the town of Arlington, Massachusetts, and three officers alleges.