A journalist arrested while filming a crime scene sues Cincinnati and the officer

CINCINNATI — A freelance journalist who was handcuffed and arrested after refusing to stop filming the scene of a deadly car crash has sued the city of Cincinnati and the officer.

Calvin Andrus, a journalist and videographer for nearly 30 years, said he was standing behind police crime scene tape and recording footage last November when an officer told him to leave. Andrus said he told the officer he was a media representative and tried to hand him a card listing the laws that allow recording crime scenes.

According to WCPO-TV, video showed the officer first told Andrus he was beyond the crime scene tape and then said he wanted to expand the crime scene area.

Police charged Andrus with obstructing official business, but prosecutors dismissed the charge in June.

The lawsuit filed on Oct. 11 accuses the city and the officer of false arrest and malicious prosecution. Andrus is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, pain and suffering, and medical expenses. The president of Cincinnati’s police union, Ken Kober, said Tuesday he was not aware of the lawsuit. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Andrus said in the lawsuit that the officer arrested him, put him in handcuffs and into the back of a squad car. Andrus said he was left in the cruiser for more than 30 minutes, where he had a panic attack and chest pains. He was then taken to a hospital.