Botched police raid leads to lawsuit in South Bend

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- A botched police raid in South Bend leads to a lawsuit.

Police were looking for a murder suspect on East Calvert Street in June of 2022, but, they're accused of targeting the wrong house and leaving major damage behind, without paying the homeowner, Amy Hadley, back.

The nonprofit, Institute for Justice (IJ), took on Hadley’s case, filing a complaint against the City of South Bend, the South Bend Police Department, St. Joseph County, the St. Joseph Police Department, and the Board of Commissioners of the County of St. Joseph.

The civil lawsuit aims to get just compensation for the damage done to Hadley’s home. In the complaint, IJ estimates the raid caused roughly $16,000 in damage, and never once were the Hadley's reimbursed or apologized to.

Police were executing a warrant on June 10, 2022, believing a fugitive was at that home based on his Facebook activity.

A 15-year-old boy walked out the front door, Hadley's son, and officers immediately knew he wasn’t their fugitive. Thinking he could still be inside, they went in the home anyway.

The complaint claims they launched dozens of tear gas grenades in the home, destroyed security cameras, punched holes in the walls, ransacked rooms and closets and more.

The South Bend Police Department told ABC57 they cannot comment on pending litigation. ABC57 also sent Sheriff Bill Redman a request for comment, and so far there has been no response.