Officers use baby doll in home as excuse to kick down door in illegal search, suit says
Three Minnesota police officers are accused of saying a baby doll was a dead baby so they could conduct an illegal search of a home, a federal lawsuit filed May 14 said.
According to the lawsuit filed by the homeowner and the person inside the home at the time of the search, “it would be obvious to any reasonable observer that it was a baby doll.” They allege their Fourth and 14th amendment rights were violated by the officers and the city of Minneapolis.
Two Minneapolis police officers knocked on the door of the Brooklyn Center home on March 21, 2023 to investigate an “open file,” but no one answered, an attorney said in the lawsuit. One of the plaintiffs was in the basement, according to the lawsuit.
The officers peeked in the window and observed the baby doll on the couch. According to the lawsuit, the two discussed whether or not the doll was a human baby who had died. One of the officers said they thought it was a doll, the lawsuit said.
The doll did not look “lifelike,” according to the lawsuit. It had stitches on the joints and a plastic sheen.
The Minneapolis officers called local police “and reported a potential baby in distress,” the lawsuit said.
A Brooklyn Center officer arrived within 10 minutes, saw the baby doll and then kicked in the door, according to the lawsuit.
The man in the basement thought intruders had entered the home, the lawsuit said. His attorney said he “suffered invasion of privacy, stigma, distress, trauma, and fear due to the officers’ actions.”
When the officers broke into the home, they searched the garage, according to court documents.
The Minneapolis Police Department and the Brooklyn Center Police Department declined to comment on the case. The city of Minneapolis did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on May 17.
At the time, there were no open investigations connected to the address, the lawsuit said.
The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and monetary damages.
Brooklyn Center is about a 10-mile drive north of downtown Minneapolis.
This story was originally published May 17, 2024 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Officers use baby doll in home as excuse to kick down door in illegal search, suit says."
