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By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com and The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com, Ohio's leaders in Black digital news. Coleman is a 21-year investigative journalist and political and legal reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -Prominent Cleveland area Civil Rights attorney David Malik, who has represented clients in several high-profile lawsuits against Cleveland police and the city, including the family of Tanisha Anderson, the 37-year-old mentally ill woman who died in police custody in November, and unarmed Blacks Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, whom Cleveland police gunned down in November 2012 while slinging 37 bullets, was in court himself earlier today. (Editor's more: Malik was also the original attorney in the still pending wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit filed by the family of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, but was replaced with Florida Attorney Benjamin Crump and Akron Attorney Walter Madison. The wrongful death lawsuit relative to Williams and Russell was settled last year for $3 million, which will be split between the two families. Malik represents the family of Williams in that case).
Malik appeared before Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren Moore Tuesday morning for arraignment and pleaded not guilty to a third degree felony charge of attempting to carry a concealed weapon and ammunition onto an aircraft.
He was arrested at 4:15 pm Saturday, after airport security found an unloaded .22 caliber handgun and a box of ammunition in his carry-on bag, public records show. He spent Saturday night in jail, and was released on a personal bond Sunday morning.
Moore, who is Black, continued Malik's personal bond.
The case was bound over from the municipal court to the court of common pleas because it is a felony case, and Malik could be back in court as early as next week.
"I participated in a target shooting class recently with a certified CCW instructor and I simply forgot to remove it from my bag," Malik said in a press statement issued Sunday to Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's leader in Black digital news. "I used the bag to pack for my trip. It was a stupid mistake."
The City of Cleveland picks and chooses the people it charges with crimes for accidentally attempting to carry either an unloaded gun or ammunition through airport security, data show.(www.clevelandurbannews.com) /(www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
