Powder Springs woman suing Cobb County police for $5M

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A Powder Springs resident, Nicole Buchanan, has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Cobb County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), alleging that she was a victim of excessive force during the execution of a warrant for her son on March 10, 2022. Buchanan, 50, is represented by national civil rights attorney Latrice Alexander.

The lawsuit claims that Deputy Randall Lossing, Officer Richard Bozich, Officer William R. Brennan, and Sheriff Craig D. Owens, Sr. violated Buchanan's Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, leading to severe injury and emotional distress.

According to the complaint, Buchanan asked the deputies to identify themselves and provide a warrant when they knocked on her door. Allegedly, the deputies did not provide a warrant and "illegally" broke into her residence.

Buchanan fled upstairs and locked herself and her son, who was disabled, in a bathroom. She again demanded to see a warrant after the deputies began knocking on the door. When they refused to supply one, she reportedly called the sheriff's office, who said that her son did not have an active outstanding warrant.

The deputies then reportedly kicked in Buchanan's bathroom door with guns drawn, handcuffed her and her son, then chased and handcuffed her two younger children.

Buchanan alleges that one of the deputies pointed a loaded gun at her temple and Deputy Lossing lifted her off of the ground and slammed her down again, resulting in a broken foot and a damaged knee. 

Buchanan's son, for whom the warrant was issued, later died from circumstances unrelated to the incident.

In a statement released by Alexander, Buchanan asserts that law enforcement officers, who are sworn to uphold the law, instead caused "extensive, unjustifiable harm and injuries" during the incident. The lawsuit seeks to hold the officers accountable for their actions and calls for the removal of officers who engage in such conduct, emphasizing that excessive force will not be tolerated in the community.

FOX 5 Atlanta has reached out the sheriff's office for a statement.