Police have arrested Dorian Johnson, the man who was walking with Michael Brown when he was fatally shot by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
Officers arrested Johnson on Wednesday after he allegedly interfered with an arrest, St. Louis County Police spokeswoman Leah K. Freeman said.
Johnson’s attorney, James Williams, told CNN he was still awaiting information about the case.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any details at the time, so I can’t really elaborate on what happened,” he said.
The arrest came on the same day that an attorney announced Johnson is suing the city of Ferguson, its former police chief and former officer Darren Wilson. In the lawsuit, Johnson claims he suffered psychological scars and emotional distress on the day that Wilson stopped him and Brown, CNN affiliates KTVI and KPLR reported. He is seeking at least $25,000 in damages and is also asking for an injunction to stop what he calls discriminatory police practices in Ferguson, KTVI and KPLR said.
The August shooting of Brown, who was black, by Wilson, who is white, sparked protests in the St. Louis suburb and across the United States, fueling a national debate over whether police use excessive force, particularly when it comes to dealing with African-Americans.
In November, a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson.
That’s one reason Williams said Johnson is going ahead with the lawsuit.
“We want to use the civil justice system to bring Darren Wilson to justice, to pay for what he did,” Williams said.
Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said Wednesday that the city was aware of the lawsuit but declined to comment on pending litigation.
