Warren, Michigan: Man Claims His Right to Bear Arms Was Violated, Police Sued for $600,000
By TARYN ASHER
WARREN, Mich. (WJBK) – If you spot Jeff Haman, you will likely notice his holstered .45 caliber carried out in the open. It’s his legal right, but you wouldn’t think so when you hear what Haman claims happened as he was walking home in August 2009 on Twelve Mile Road west of Hoover.
We’re told it all started because people started calling 911 saying they saw a man walking down the street with a gun in the open.
“I could hear the tires kind of screeching,” said Haman. “As he was pulling up, I saw that he had his firearm pulled out aimed straight at me. I went down to my knees and then he yelled at me and told me to lay down on my stomach with my hands straight out towards him, and the whole time he had the gun trained on me.”
Treated as a common criminal, Haman claims. Moments later, two more Warren Police cruisers and three officers arrived.
“He grabbed me up by the chains scraping my knees after he’d dragged me up forcefully,” Haman told FOX 2.
Haman got his hands on the Warren Police dash cam video, but he claims it only picked up one cruiser’s view and exchanges with the officers after the alleged assault went down.
“You should at least tell us what you’re doing. You know what I mean? Call us to say, listen, I’m going to go out for a walk with my gun on my hip today,” an officer can be heard saying on that video.
“Walking around like this is just going to end up getting you hurt somehow. Express your rights the way you want to express it, but when you get hurt, don’t cry that somebody hurt you because you were expressing your rights. You’re just asking for trouble, brother.”
“Why? Would you do that if you had purple pants on that day? It’s totally legal. It’s constitutional. Why would you call the police if you’re leaving your house for anything,” Haman said.
Due to how he was allegedly treated, Haman, a gun advocate, former firearms dealer and member of Michigan Open Carry, has decided to sue Warren Police for $600,000.
Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green, who was named in the suit, couldn’t comment specifically, but he said he supports the officer’s actions 100-percent. Officers, he said, are duty bound and can’t assume someone openly carrying a gun is following the law.
“This is a police officer. He works for the community. He works for me. What he did was wrong,” said Haman.
Haman said he is filing the lawsuit because he doesn’t want this to happen anyone else and that a lot people are not informed about the open carry laws, including police officers. He wants this to send a message.