Attorney Sues City for False Arrest

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CN) - A prominent New Haven attorney who was arrested in 2012 for bringing a handgun to a 10:15 p.m. showing of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" has sued the city and six officers for false arrest.

Sung-Ho Hwang's Aug. 7, 2012 arrest at the Criterion Cinemas came less than three weeks after the mass murders at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater during a screening of the same film. Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded in Colorado.

Hwang claims that police stormed the rear entrance of the theater and handcuffed and detained him.

Hwang, an immigration attorney, is a past president of the New Haven County Bar Association. He says arrested him without probable cause, and knew his gun was registered and that he had a valid Connecticut Pistol Permit.

"Plaintiff did not use or threaten to use the gun, and no contrary report was made to the Police Department," Hwang claims in his lawsuit Superior Court.

He was charged with breach of peace and interfering with an officer, but the charges were dropped.

"As a direct and proximate result of his false arrest, the plaintiff suffered mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, shame, fear and damage to his reputation," the complaint states. "As a direct and proximate result of the foregoing, the Plaintiff was required to attend to his legal defense and lost time from his work and suffered damage."

Hwang seeks damages for false arrest, malicious prosecution, civil rights violations, and supervisory and municipal liability.He is represented by Steven Errante, with Lynch, Traub, Keefe and Errante.

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