03042008 - Officer Gary Steele - Detroit PD - Facing Life In Prison For OIDV Assault Against Ex-Girlfriend [Torture; Assault w/intent to commit murder; Assault w/intent to do great bodily harm less than murder; 2 counts felonious assault w/a dangerous weapon; weapons / firearm discharge in or at a building; Felony firearm]
06232009 - Officer Gary Steele - Sentenced - Formerly Facing Possible Life Sentence For Domestic Violence Assault - Sentenced To 1 Year Probation [Misdemeanor reckless use of firearms] AND Then Put Back On Duty - Detroit PD
05312018 - Officer Gary Steele - Video Of Steele Breaking Arm of Elaine Murriel During Arrest - Detroit PD
01312019 - Officer Gary Steele - Detroit PD - Posted Racist Video On SnapChat Mocking Ariel Moore After Traffic Stop
02272019 - Officer Gary Steele - Fired For Posting Racial Video Of Traffic Stop - Detroit PD
04252019 - Officer Gary Steele - Lawsuit Filed Against Steele/Detroit PD - Racist SnapChat Video Of Ariel Moore During Traffic Stop
04252019 - Officer Gary Steele - Lawsuit Filed Against Steele/Detroit PD - Elaine Murriel's Arm Broken During Arrest
Lawsuits filed against former Detroit police officers over racist Snapchat post
WXYZ News - Detroit
April 26, 2019
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger to discuss two lawsuits filed against former officer Gary Steele
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Two lawsuits were filed against former Detroit police officers regarding a racist Snapchat video.
Corporal Gary Steele and Officer Michael Garrison have been fired after Steele posted a video to his Snapchat account.
In the video, Steele and Garrison are heard making racist jokes as a woman walked home in freezing temperatures after her car was impounded.
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger is holding a news conference Friday morning at 10 a.m. to discuss the lawsuits:
Plaintiff's Complaint and Jury Demand (TC) (00699462xA9307)
PLEAD. Complaint and Jury Demand - WCCC (TC) (00699588xA9307)
Former Detroit police officer facing lawsuits for alleged police brutality, racism
Click On Detroit
April 26, 2019
Lawyer shows video showing ex-Detroit police officer allegedly breaking woman's arm
Body cam: Detroit officer allegedly breaks woman's arm [05312018]
Officer Gary Steele pointing finger like gun at squad car where Elaine Murriel was seated after Steele broke her arm
DETROIT – A former Detroit police officer is facing two new lawsuits, one of them involving allegations of police brutality.
It’s round two of the former Detroit police Officer Gary Steele’s soap opera. A video recorded May 31, 2018 allegedly showed Steele, who is accused of breaking Elaine Murriel’s arm while trying to arrest her, after she got into an argument with the girlfriend of her son’s father.
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said officers arrived and handled the situation. Fieger said Steele showed up later allegedly arrested his client and broke her arm in the process, “Elaine’s arm was fractured. She had an operation,” said Attorney Geoffrey Fieger.
Almost a year later, Fieger and his team of attorneys are suing the city of Detroit and Steele for his involvement in this case and the infamous Snapchat video. That video showed Steele using racial slurs to describe his client Ariel Moore.
“What happened here was a gross violation of not only the state civil rights and negligence, that we alleged in these complaints,” said Fieger.
Friday morning, Fieger released both lawsuits. Moore is suing for $75,000, and Murriel is suing for $25,000.
“When it costs them money, then they start making changes and that’s the purpose of these lawsuits,” said Fieger.
Chief James Craig addressed the lawsuits Friday.
“We are aware of it. As you know, as it relates to the first lawsuit, we did an investigation and the officers were terminated. As it comes to the second lawsuit, that is being investigated by the Internal Affairs.”
Fieger also accused DPD of hiding the 2018 incident. Craig said that’s not true.
Ex-Detroit Police officers accused of misconduct in new lawsuits
Detroit Free Press
April 26, 2019
Two separate civil complaints have been filed in the Wayne County Circuit Court linked to accusations of police misconduct and allegedly racially motivated attacks, trial attorney Geoffrey Fieger announced at a news conference Friday.
Both lawsuits name the City of Detroit, the Detroit Police Department and former Detroit Police Officer Gary Steele. One also names former Detroit Police Officer Michael Garrison.
The lawsuits have been filed nearly a year after plaintiff Elaine Murriel alleged Steele broke her arm during an incident on May 31, 2018, and months after WXYZ-TV first aired a derogatory Snapchat video of a woman, Ariel Moore, walking home after officers seized her car.
The video uses filters that say "Celebrating Black History Month" and "What Black Girl Magic Looks Like," as two officers — identified as Steele and Garrison — appear to taunt the "walk of shame."
In a video of the news conference streamed by WXYZ-TV, Fieger said the lawsuits are "a result of intolerable, invidious, racially motivated assaults and other attacks upon my clients."
A Detroit Police spokesperson told the paper that the department does not comment on pending litigation.
Detroit's corporation counsel, Lawrence Garcia, issued a statement: “As Chief Craig announced last month, the two officers involved in this incident were terminated and are no longer with the Detroit Police Department. Beyond that, I can only say that as a matter of general policy, the city does not comment on pending litigation.”
Ariel Moore
Widely circulated Snapchat video from Jan. 30, 2019, shows how officers filmed Moore as she began walking home on a cold night.
"Priceless," one officer can be heard saying.
According to the lawsuit filed Friday, Steele and Garrison pulled Moore over because she didn't have a proper registration tab, issued her a ticket and confiscated the keys. She was allegedly fearful of the officers, so she began to walk home.
Steele recorded the video and posted it to his Snapchat account.
"Bye Felicia," a voice says on tape.
The lawsuit states that Craig and Mayor Mike Duggan have both decried the video, and both officers have since been removed from the police force.
Yet, the lawsuit said, the city and the police department had been aware of Steele's "propensity for racism and violence, especially toward women."
Additionally, the suit notes that Craig has said a former officer came forward and said there's another video Steele made in 2017, after impounding a car during Christmas. The video reportedly also records Steele saying "walk of shame' and other racially insensitive remarks.
As for a review of Garrison, the suit said he was suspended for 60 days in 2015 for shooting deer in Rouge Park while on duty, and he was also among a group of officers sued in 2006 and accused of wrongfully stopping and harassing a 15-year-old boy — the city settled the case.
Represented by attorney Gregory Wix, the lawsuit filed on behalf of Moore calls for the following charges:
- Gross negligence (Steele and Garrison)
- Gross negligence (City of Detroit and DPD)
- Intentional Infliction of emotional distress (Steele and Garrison)
- Defamation (Steele)
- False Light (Steele)
- Violation of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (All defendants)
Elaine Murriel
Represented by attorney Todd Weglarz, Murriel alleges that Steele broke her arm during an incident in 2018.
Murriel was dropping her infant son off at his father's house when an altercation ensued between her and the girlfriend of the father of her child. Murriel had a personal protection order against her, but it is alleged that the girlfriend attempted to run Murriel over with a vehicle.
The lawsuit says Murriel defended herself by discharging her licensed firearm in the direction of the girlfriend's car, and Detroit police responded. Murriel told officers she had a concealed weapons permit and was acting in defense of herself.
Among other officers responding to the scene, the lawsuit said Steele decided to arrest Murriel "suddenly and physically." She was holding her son in her arms and was told to put her hands behind her back.
The lawsuit alleges Steele told another officer to hold Murriel's arms, while another officer took the child away. Steele then allegedly pushed Murriel up against the vehicle, grabbed her arms and forced her left arm to "bend backward, in an abnormal manner, and against the natural range of motion allowed by the elbow joint."
Police body camera video of the incident was shown at the news conference.
Weglarz said Murriel was taken to the hospital before being taken to jail, and an exam showed that her arm was broken. He said Murriel was given a sling, and stayed in jail for four days until she was released with no charges.
Fieger added that Murriel continues to have difficulty with her arm, and has had surgery to repair the damage.
"(Steele) should never have been on the force at the time that he was engaging in the activities that resulted in this lawsuit, which resulted in the breaking of Elaine Murriel's arm. ... An incident that never should have resulted in an arrest in the first place," Fieger said.
Both lawsuits mention that Steele faced numerous felony charges after reportedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend in March 2008. One of the suits describes the incident, stating Steele hit her with a baseball bat, choked her, put a loaded gun inside of her mouth, pointed the gun to her head, threatened to kill her and fired three shots near the side of her head. Steele entered a no-contest plea.
"Notwithstanding the disturbing and grossly violent acts committed by Defendant Steele, the City of Detroit and DPD, permitted/allowed Steele to remain on its police force as an armed police officer with a known history and propensity for assaultive violence," the suit filed on behalf of Murriel states.
The suit calls for the following counts:
- Gross negligence & wanton and willful misconduct (Steele)
- Violation of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (City of Detroit/DPD/Steele)
Systemic racism & long-standing issues
The suit filed on behalf of Moore makes reference to the internal affairs investigation launched by Detroit Police after the video surfaced, and notes that the city and Detroit Police announced that an audit was conducted of the afternoon shift of the 6th Precinct — where Steele and Garrison worked.
The audit found evidence of "racial animosity" in the precinct, "while some supervisors were unaware or unconcerned," the lawsuit said.
Additionally, the lawsuit notes that while discussing the audit, it was found that Steele and Garrison were "ringleaders" of a group of officers working the afternoon shift, who would refer to African Americans as "Keishas" and "Jakes."
Traffic stops were also routinely made after 9:30 p.m. "to avoid priority calls late in the evening," and black drivers were "overwhelmingly the subject." The lawsuit also mentions that the Department's Committee on Race and Equality also recognized evidence of "top-down discriminatory practices" and racial attitudes shown by some of the officers in the command staff.
Fieger emphasized that the lawsuits are not an attack on police officers.
"This isn't an attack on police officers, the vast majority of the City of Detroit police officers, as well as police officers from other departments, are fine men and women. And I acknowledge that Chief Craig, several days ago issued what I consider to be a fairly forthright executive summary concerning the wrongful activities of these two rogue Detroit Police officers," he said.
"However, the incident of racial discrimination and racial profiling and invidious racially motivated incidents is still far too great, and it reflects a failure to train and a failure to screen in terms of the continued employment of officers who have no business being on the force."
Detroit officer in racist Snapchat post also accused of breaking woman's arm
FOX 2 News - Detroit
April 26, 2019
(FOX 2) - A woman has filed a lawsuit against the Detroit police department, the city, and a former officer after she says her arm was broken during an arrest.
In a press conference Friday, attorney Geoffrey Fieger announced that on behalf of Elaine Keymo Murriel of Detroit, a $25,000 lawsuit was filed against the City of Detroit, Detroit Police Department and former police officer Gary Steele for an incident last year. Steele was fired in late February after sharing a racist Snapchat post of a young woman during a traffic stop.
"The incidents of racial discrimination and racial profiling and invidious racially motivated incidents is still far too great and it reflects a failure to train and a failure to screen in terms of the continued employment of officers who have no business being on the force," Fieger said.
According to the lawsuit, on May 31, 2018, Murriel was dropping off her infant son at his father's house near the intersection of Dover and Faust roads in Detroit. At the same time, Ashante Moore, who was dating the father of Murriel's son, was driving in the same area. Muriel had personal protection order against Moore due to previous heated incidents.
The suit states that as Murriel was getting her son out of the car, Moore drove her car toward Murriel in an attempt to run her over. That's when Murriel, a CPL carrier, pulled her gun and shot toward Moore's car because she was "fearing for her life and the life of her son," according to the document.
Several Detroit police officers responded to the scene, including Steele. The lawsuit states that police reports note that Murriel was "extremely compliant," and that she told officers that she had a CPL and she was carrying a firearm, which she had secured in the trunk of her car. She had also told them she fired toward Moore's car.
The document states several witnesses and the child's father supported Murriel's explanation that she was acting in self-defense. Despite the witness statements, Fieger alleges that officer Steele decided to arrest her.
"Steele decided to unlawfully seize and arrest the plaintiff. Defendant Steele suddenly and physically placed plaintiff under arrest. Plaintiff was holding her infant son in her arms at the time defendant Steele physically placed her under arrest," the lawsuit states.
The suit states that as Steele attempted to handcuff Murriel, she began screaming in pain as Steele was "viciously and savagely bending her left arm backward, forcing it to bend backward, in an abnormal manner." It states Steele broke her arm, snapping a bone in her elbow - the lateral epicondyle bone.
Attorney Todd Weglarz said Murriel was taken to the hospital, given an X-ray where it was determined her arm was broken, and was given a sling. She was jailed for four days without medical care before she was released.
All charges were later dropped. Weglarz says Murriel then had surgery and physical therapy, and is still recovering.
SNAPCHAT LAWSUIT
Fieger also announced a second woman on the behalf of Ariel Moore - no relation to Ashante Moore in the above listed case. Ariel Moore was recorded in the aforementioned Snapchat video filmed by Steele.
Moore was pulled over for an expired plate in late January. After pulling her over, Steele asked the woman to get out because he was going to tow her vehicle and she was then forced to walk back home in extremely cold temperatures.
Then Steele shot video of the woman walking with the caption "What black girl magic looks like" and "celebrating Black History Month."
"To this day, the victims haven't heard from Mayor Duggan or Chief Craig or the City of Detroit and these lawsuits are a way to redress this," Fieger said.
The plaintiff is seeking $75,000.
Geoffrey Fieger Law - Facebook
April 27, 2019
Geoffrey Fieger, along with Attorneys Greg Wix and Todd Weglarz, held a press conference yesterday in the mock courtroom at Fieger Law.
They discussed the filing of two lawsuits against the Detroit Police Department and fired Detroit Police Officer Gary Steele, concerning the “Snapchat Walk of Shame” video incident and an assault on video by Steele, Breaking an innocent mother’s arm.
Watch for news unfolding on these cases.
Ex-Detroit officer who mocked black female motorist also allegedly broke another woman's arm
NBC News
April 29, 2019
Detroit police officer allegedly breaks woman's arm while arresting her
A former Detroit police officer who was fired after mocking a black motorist in a video he posted on social media is now facing two lawsuits over alleged racially motivated misconduct and abuse.
Gary Steele, who was fired earlier this year after posting the video of the black female driver, was sued Friday by that woman and another black woman whose arm he allegedly broke in 2018 while trying to arrest her.
Both lawsuits were filed in Wayne County Circuit Court and also list the Detroit Police Department and the City of Detroit.
Ariel Moore is suing for $75,000 after a January incident in which Steele and his former partner, Michael Garrison, who is also listed in Moore's suit, seized her car for driving with an expired license plate and forced her to walk home. The lawsuit said the incident happened at nighttime when the temperature was "dangerously below freezing."
Steele filmed Moore walking and posted the video on his Snapchat account, while he and Garrison remarked: "Walk of shame. In the cold" and "Bye Felicia," according to the lawsuit.
Steele captioned the post: “What black girl magic looks like” and “celebrating Black History Month.”
Steele and Garrison, both 18-year veterans of the Detroit Police Department, were fired from the force following the incident, Police Chief James Craig announced.
Craig said that both Garrison and Steele had histories of making disparaging remarks about black people, using words like "Keisha," "Jakes" and "homies."
Elaine Murriel, the woman who alleged Steele broke her arm, is suing for $25,000.
Murriel was dropping off her son at his father's house in May 2018 when the father's girlfriend tried to run her over with a car, and Murriel fired her legally owned firearm in self defense, her lawsuit alleges.
When officers arrived, she told them that she had a legally owned firearm and had recently discharged it, and she was she “extremely compliant,” according to officers’ reports, the lawsuit said.
But Steele "suddenly and physically" placed Murriel under arrest while she was holding her baby, according to the lawsuit. Steele ordered one officer to hold Murriel’s arms while telling another officer to “grab and rip the scared, crying child" from her hands, the lawsuit said.
While Steele was trying to handcuff Murriel by "pulling and yanking" on her arm and she was screaming in pain, Steele "viciously and savagely" bent her left arm backward "in an abnormal manner, and against the natural range of motion," the suit said.
Despite Murriel’s screaming, Steele pulled her arm back "with such force" that he broke it, according to the suit.
"Other responding officers were upset and angry over Steele’s conduct, and commented that Steele’s actions were completely unnecessary," said the suit.
Lawrence Garcia, who is representing the city, responded to the lawsuits by reiterating that the two officers have been fired.
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger, whose firm is bringing the suits, said, “When it costs them money, then they start making changes and that’s the purpose of these lawsuits,” according to NBC affiliate WDIV.
Former Detroit Cop Faces Legal Action After Breaking Black Woman's Arm During An Arrest
Gary Steele has already been fired but is now being sued for breaking one woman's arm and humiliating another
Blavity.com
May 01, 2019
Gary Steele used to be a member of the Detroit Police Department. However, things can change at any moment. The former officer is facing two lawsuits from Black women who claim he was racially abusive toward them.
Steele and his partner, Michael Garrison, were fired in February after the two seized a Black woman's car and made her walk home in the snow. During the incident, the two officers followed her and posted racist Snapchat videos of the ordeal. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said their department's investigation of Steele revealed that he had a history of being blatantly racist toward others and a penchant for brutality.
Currently, the two officers are facing lawsuits for their conduct in the Snapchat case. Steele is also facing a lawsuit for an incident in which he broke a woman's arm in the process.
Ariel Moore, the woman whose car was seized, is suing for $75,000. Meanwhile, Elaine Murriel, the woman who had her arm broken, is suing for $25,000. Both women are being represented by local attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who held a press conference on Saturday.
After seizing Moore's car, Steele drove the vehicle and used his Snapchat account to post a video of her walking. During the video, an officer says "Bye Felicia." Along with the videos, Steele included captions that read, “What Black Girl Magic looks like” and “celebrating Black History Month.”
Craig told local news outlets that their investigation uncovered decades of racial abuse by Steele and comments from other officers about the racist language he used.
"Terms he used on several occasions, such as 'Keisha,' 'Jakes' and 'homies,' which were all derogatory, demoralizing and degrading, and yes, racially insensitive in the context of which it was used," Craig said after firing Steele.
"Former police officer Steele has lost the trust of those he served and can no longer provide policing services in our city. The actions taken by former police officer Steele not only negatively impacted our community, but also people across this great nation."
Somehow, Steele was even worse in his conduct with Murriel, who was dropping her son off at his father's home. The father's girlfriend attempted to run over Murriel with a car, and she used her legal firearm to shoot at the vehicle. When the police were called, the officers said Murriel was calm, collected and responding to all their orders.
Steele showed up later and began to arrest her while she was holding her young child. During the arrest, Steele ended up yanking her arm behind her back so hard that he broke it. She was forced to undergo surgery to fix the break.
"Other responding officers were upset and angry over Steele’s conduct, and commented that Steele’s actions were completely unnecessary," Fieger said in the lawsuit.
Craig said after the Snapchat incident he received hundreds of letters, emails and Facebook messages from Detroit residents. Others questioned how an officer like Steele could have spent so many years on the force.
"What is even more frightening," one letter said, "is that this man has been doing this job for over 18 years. It begs the question of how many others were humiliated, shamed and mocked by a man who was supposed to respect, maintain and value law and order."
What Karma Looks Like:
Ex-Detroit Officer Who Mocked Woman in 'Black Girl Magic' Snapchat Video Sued Twice for Racist Abuse
The Root
May 01, 2019
If there were ever a pantheon of racists (aside from your middle school American history textbook, that is) former Detroit police officer Gary Steele surely deserves an honorable mention.
To wit: Steele was so racist he was actually fired from the Detroit Police Department along with his partner earlier this year after an incident where he seized a black woman’s car, mocked her on his SnapChat, and forced her to walk home in subfreezing temperatures.
As she walked alone in the cold, Steele placed a Black History Month-themed “What Black Girl Magic Looks Like” filter on her.
She had an expired license plate.
Now, Steele is being sued by that woman, Ariel Moore, along with another black woman, Elaine Murriel, whose arm he allegedly broke during an arrest in 2018.
According to NBC News, citing the lawsuit filed by on April 26, Detroit police responded to an incident in which Murriel fired a firearm in self-defense:
Murriel was dropping off her son at his father’s house in May 2018 when the father’s girlfriend tried to run her over with a car, and Murriel fired her legally owned firearm in self defense, her lawsuit alleges.
When officers arrived, she told them that she had a legally owned firearm and had recently discharged it, and she was “extremely compliant,” according to officers’ reports, the lawsuit said.
That is, until Steele escalated the situation by violently placing Murriel under arrest, the suit claims. The 18-year veteran ordered one officer to hold Murriel’s arms and instructed another to rip her child from her arms.
From NBC News:
While Steele was trying to handcuff Murriel by “pulling and yanking” on her arm and she was screaming in pain, Steele “viciously and savagely” bent her left arm backward “in an abnormal manner, and against the natural range of motion,” the suit said.
Despite Murriel’s screaming, Steele pulled her arm back “with such force” that he broke it, according to the suit.
According to a previous NBC News report, Steele pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in 2008 for attacking his ex-girlfriend and firing a gun.
Moore and Murriel’s lawsuits were filed separately on the same day. Moore is seeking $75,000 in damages from Steele and his former partner, Michael Garrison, as well as the Detroit Police Department, and the City of Detroit. Murriel is asking for $25,000.
Both suits will be represented by attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who told WDIV TV the purpose of the cases is to push DPD and the City of Detroit to enact meaningful changes to their policing.
“When it costs them money, then they start making changes,” Fieger said.
Lawsuits against ex-Detroit police officer over Snapchat video move forward
Detroit Free Press
May 31, 2019
Two separate civil suits against a former Detroit Police officer who was fired for a racist Snapchat video are moving forward to status hearings in July.
The lawsuits, each filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in April, named the City of Detroit, Detroit Police Department and former officer Gary Steele.
One of the other suits also named former Detroit officer Michael Garrison.
Steele and Garrison were both terminated in February and March respectively from the police department after a racist Snapchat video, showing a woman, Ariel Moore, walking home after her car was seized.
The video included the captions, "What black girl magic looks like" and "Celebrating Black History Month."
Moore is suing the officers over the incident. Another woman, Elain Murriel, filed a separate lawsuit, saying that Steele broke her arm in a 2018 incident.
Attorney Todd Weglarz, who is representing Murriel, could not be reached for comment.
Murriel's lawsuit said Steele decided to arrest her "suddenly and physically." She was holding her son in her arms and was told to put her hands behind her back.
The lawsuit also stated that Murriel was taken to a hospital and told her arm was broken.
Weglarz said in April that Murriel was taken to the hospital before being taken to jail, and an exam showed that her arm was broken. He said Murriel was given a sling, and stayed in jail for four days until she was released with no charges.
Police body camera video of the incident was shown at an April news conference.
