St. Paul will pay $15,000 to Settle Case - Foul Police Officer Attacked 11 Year Old Black Boy

The city of St. Paul has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought on behalf of a boy who alleged a police officer knocked him unconscious during a lunchroom scuffle at Ramsey Junior High School. It is the second settlement in less than a year involving the former officer, Tou Mo Cha, 37, and a juvenile. In September, the city agreed to pay $27,000 to Travonte Davis, who claimed Tou Mo Cha roughed him up during questioning. Davis was 11 at the time. Last year, Tou Mo Cha admitted lending a relative his police-issued handgun, which was later used in a high-profile drive-by shooting. He was sentenced to five days in a Ramsey County workhouse and is no longer a member of the police force. The most recently settled suit involved Prince Butler Jr., who was 12 at the time of the 2002 scuffle. Attorney Richard Hechter said Butler came to the defense of his sister, who was involved in a fight with other girls. Tou Mo Cha, then a school resource officer, intervened and knocked Butler unconscious, giving him a concussion, Hechter said. "In our position, we think it's a fair and reasonable settlement," Hechter said. "It's hard putting a teenager through a full-blown jury trial and cross-examination." Because Butler is a ward of the state, the Minnesota Department of Human Services brought the suit. Hechter said the money would be put in a trust until Butler is an adult. The incident was witnessed by dozens of students, many of whom said they saw Tou Mo Cha kick Butler in the head. A couple of weeks after the fight, police and school administrators held a heated meeting with about 60 parents and students. Tou Mo Cha was taken out of the school and put on patrol duty shortly after. The suit was filed more than a year after the fight. But a month before it was filed, Tou Mo Cha picked up Davis to question him in connection with a crime. During questioning, Davis alleged, Tou Mo Cha repeatedly threw him against a wall and punched him in the face. In both cases, the police department's Internal Affairs Unit investigated the claims and exonerated Tou Mo Cha. [MORE]