{"id":1685,"date":"2026-06-04T11:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T11:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1685"},"modified":"2026-06-04T11:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T11:06:14","slug":"raleigh-cop-accused-of-excessive-use-of-force-why-the-case-will-continue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1685","title":{"rendered":"Raleigh cop accused of excessive use of force. Why the case will continue."},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Exclusive News & Observer reporting has revealed that the city of Raleigh paid $5.4 million between 2012 and 2025 to settle accusations of police misconduct. The settlements are linked to a small number of encounters police have with the public. But similarities among the accusations point to problematic behavior, civil rights lawyers and others say.\n <\/p>\n

Read more In first override of 2026, NC lawmakers overturn Gov. Stein\u2019s veto of tax bill<\/a><\/p>\n

A lawsuit accusing Raleigh police of using excessive force against a man who says he slept past a motel\u2019s checkout time survived its first major legal challenge, moving the case one step closer to a settlement or jury trial.<\/p>\n

In September 2025, Thomas \u201cTJ\u201d Sanders Jr. filed a lawsuit against<\/a> the city of Raleigh and two of its two police officers.<\/p>\n

Over time, the defendants have been narrowed to just Christopher Robinson, a Raleigh police officer who was also named in an excessive-force lawsuit involving Darryl Williams.<\/a> Williams died in January 2023 after officers used a Taser on him multiple times. The city settled the lawsuit last year, agreeing to pay Williams\u2019 family nearly $1 million.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the ongoing case involving Sanders, he alleges that in December 2022, a month before Williams died, Robinson violated his constitutional rights by using excessive force when investigating a misdemeanor crime against a person who wasn\u2019t a threat to officers. It also accuses Robinson of assault and negligence.<\/p>\n

Sanders is seeking an unspecified amount of money to recover costs related to his injuries and attorneys\u2019 fees, as well as punitive damages, a financial penalty meant to punish Robinson and deter others from repeating such actions.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 18, 2022, a then-20-year-old Sanders and his teenage cousin overslept their checkout time at a Super 8 Motel in Raleigh. A motel employee woke them up, told them to leave and called the police.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sanders and his cousin were in their room holding their bags when police arrived, the complaint states. The police told them to leave, and the two men left the room, according to the lawsuit. But instead of letting them go, the officers followed them and demanded their names.<\/p>\n

Sanders provided his name and birthday and explained that they had worked late delivering food and slept in, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019 cousin declined to give his name, and the officers handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo what you\u2019re [expletive] told,\u201d Robinson told the teen, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n

Sanders, who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and at the time weighed 130 pounds, used his phone to record Robinson as he drove his elbow and knee into Sanders\u2019 cousin\u2019s back, the lawsuit states. Robinson stood up and turned his attention toward Sanders, the lawsuit states, shouting at him to back up, shoving him multiple times, and slapping the phone from his hands.<\/p>\n

While Sanders pleaded with Robinson to stop, the officer pulled Sanders\u2019 hands behind his back and slammed him face-first into a tree root on the ground and kneed him in the back, the complaint states.<\/p>\n

\u201cTJ never attempted to flee or resist arrest, and was always within Officer Robinson\u2019s control,\u201d the complaint states.<\/p>\n

Read more New Chapel Hill oyster bar serves a \u2018special\u2019 burger and some NC classics<\/a><\/p>\n

Sanders was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. The charges were dismissed 10 months later.<\/p>\n

Sanders was taken to WakeMed. Doctors noted scrapes on his face, including a roughly 3\/4 inch cut on his chin, the complaint states. Sanders also reported his teeth were pushed in.<\/p>\n

In court documents, Robinson\u2019s attorney states that the officers\u2019 body-worn camera footage shows the motel manager asking that the two men be trespassed from the property.<\/p>\n

The recording shows that the men understood that they were being trespassed and why officers wanted their names, attorney Sonny Hayes wrote in a filing arguing that the lawsuit should be dismissed. Hayes works for a private firm, but the city of Raleigh generally pays for officers\u2019 attorneys when they face lawsuits.<\/p>\n

The recording also shows the plaintiff ignoring Robinson\u2019s command to back up, but instead repeatedly stepping toward the officer, cursing and yelling and grabbing Robinson\u2019s hand and wrist, Hayes wrote.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flanagan on May 22 denied Robinson\u2019s motion to dismiss the civil claims.<\/p>\n

Flanagan, who reviewed 40 video recordings, is obligated at this stage of the case to review the evidence \u201cin the light most favorable to\u201d Sanders, her order states.<\/p>\n

In the order Flanagan, a judge in the federal Eastern District of North Carolina<\/a>, says videos showing Sanders yelling and refusing to stand back contradict his contention that he was always within the control of the police.<\/p>\n

Another video, however, shows Sanders was unarmed, briefly touched Robinson\u2019s wrist, and never tried to flee or resist arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs explained above, based upon the allegations in the complaint, and drawing reasonable inferences in plaintiffs\u2019 favor, defendant violated plaintiff\u2019s right to be free from excessive force by \u201cslamm[ing] [plaintiff] face-first into a large tree root on the ground, knee[ing] him in the back, and forc[ing] the side and front of [plaintiff\u2019s] face down into the ground,\u201d when plaintiff was suspected of a nonviolent misdemeanor, was unarmed, and had not attempted to flee or resist arrest,\u201d Flanagan wrote in the order.<\/p>\n

While the lawsuit survived the motion to dismiss, it will likely face an additional legal challenge that could get it dismissed before it can go before a jury.<\/p>\n

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com<\/u>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Live updates: NC lawmakers grill Mecklenburg leaders over 6-year-old child\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal judge rejected a Raleigh officer\u2019s request to dismiss an excessive-force lawsuit, allowing civil rights claims to move forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nRaleigh cop accused of excessive use of force. Why the case will continue. - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1685\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Raleigh cop accused of excessive use of force. 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