CNN security guard sues Minnesota State Patrol after 2020 arrest

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A security guard who worked for a television news crew during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd is suing the Minnesota State Patrol after he says he was arrested and held in jail for nearly 20 hours despite being a credentialed member of the press. 

Ben Crump, the attorney who represents the Floyd family, filed the suit on behalf of security guard Michael Cooper. Cooper was working for CNN helping cover the protests on May 30, 2020. The lawsuit argues Cooper had his federal civil rights violated in the arrest. 

Crump’s office says Cooper is a law enforcement veteran in his mid-60s who had a permit to carry a concealed firearm during the protests. He was arrested for a curfew violation and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

In a release, Crump said Cooper was the only one arrested, despite being accompanied by other members of the press, who were White. Cooper is a Black man. The lawsuit says the "selective arresting of Black media members was not coincidental. It was intentional and racially motivated."

Crump says Cooper was hired after CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested the previous day. 

The lawsuit calls for $500,000 in punitive damages and $500,000 in compensatory damages.