CNN Employee Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota State Patrol

MINNEAPOLIS — CNN employee Michael Cooper is suing the Minnesota State Patrol after he was arrested in May 2020 during the unrest related to the death of George Floyd. Cooper, a Black man, was working as a security officer for the CNN crew that was covering the protests in Minneapolis.

Cooper was detained in the Hennepin County Jail for nearly 20 hours for a curfew violation and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to his legal team.

Ben Crump Law, Romanucci & Blandin LLC, and Newmark Storms Dworak LLC are representing Cooper. Ben Crump represents the family of George Floyd.

According to the lawsuit, Cooper was arrested on May 30, 2020, while he was a credentialed member of the press and holding a valid HR 218, which permits him to carry a concealed firearm anywhere in the United States.

Cooper was "cooperative" and "lawfully present," according to his legal team. "Despite being accompanied by numerous white members of the press at the time, Mr. Cooper was the only one arrested," his team added.

Cooper was not the only CNN employee arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol last summer. CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez was arrested while his camera crew was rolling live.

"How many times will the country need to see this script play out, where a Black man is treated differently by police than other people in the same situation?" said attorney Christopher O’Neal, Ben Crump Law.

"We have seen the City of Minneapolis begin to accept responsibility for its actions in May 2020. Now it is time for Minnesota’s state agencies to be held equally accountable," said attorney Jeff Storms, Newmark Storms Dworak.

The Minnesota Department of Safety told Patch in an email that "While we are not able to comment on pending litigation, we disagree with the allegations and look forward to presenting the facts in court."