Former Gopher basketball star settles lawsuit against police
Published 9:38 am Tuesday, January 13, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS — A former University of Minnesota basketball star who sued suburban police over his arrest two years ago has settled the lawsuit.
Melvin Newbern says a Robbinsdale officer knocked him to the ground while he was in handcuffs, causing a concussion. The officer had stopped Newbern in February 2013 for allegedly swerving and suspicion of drunken driving.
Attorneys for the city say it will pay Newbern $185,000 and he has agreed to drop the lawsuit. Newbern was never charged with drunken driving.
Newbern was a star point guard for the Gophers, when the team got within one game of making the Final Four in 1990. He is currently a Hennepin County juvenile detention officer.