The City of Baltimore is writing yet another check to settle a lawsuit involving a police officer, though in this case the recipient is no longer with us.
The related incident happened in September 2014. Police surveillance video showed Officer Vincent Cosom repeatedly punching and kicking city resident Kolvin Truss at a bus stop near a liquor store at North and Greenmount avenues, all before arresting him. Truss later sued for $5 million, alleging assault, battery, false arrest and more. He argued he was “attempting to walk away” when Cosom “punched him repeatedly and without warning,” according to an agenda for the Board of Estimates, which approved the settlement today.
A surveillance video from three years ago appears to show Officer Cosom following Truss and his girlfriend across the street following a spat between Truss and the cop at the liquor store. Cosom evenually lands several blows on Truss’ head and body.
Cosom pleaded guilty to assault charges the following year and received a six-month sentence. He no longer works for the city police department.
Truss, meanwhile, sued the city, arguing that two other officers at the scene were liable for the assault because they didn’t stop Cosom, and that one of them held his arm while Cosom was swinging. Both of the officers maintain they “did not anticipate Mr. Cosom’s use of force and that the entire incident was over in seconds,” according to the board’s agenda.
Just as the case was set to go to trial recently, both parties agreed to a settlement of $50,000. But two weeks ago, the Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Rector reported that Truss, 35, passed away in July. His attorney said he didn’t know the cause of death. Truss had struggled with substance abuse, but was planning to use the money to improve his and his children’s lives, and possibly move to Florida, his lawyer told the newspaper.
Truss’ settlement adds to a pile of others involving police officers that have been approved by the city this summer. His $50,000 payout is a drop in the bucket compared to the $600,000 check the city agreed to write this month for the family of Tyrone West, who stopped breathing and never woke up after a rough arrest by police in July 2013, or the $400,000 going to Shaun Mouzon, who police shot multiple times during a traffic stop in January 2013.
Including those three cases and two others, the Board of Estimates in August has signed off on $1.17 million in settlements for civil cases linked to city police officers.
