Jury Finds in Favor of ATF Agent in Civil Suit

St. Louis, MO – A federal jury in St. Louis returned a verdict today in favor of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) agent who was accused of using excessive force in shooting into a vehicle during an undercover operation in 2012.  Myron Pollard of St. Louis was killed in the incident and his mother was seeking $6 million in damages from the agent and the United States.  The case was tried before U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh, Jr.

On August 29, 2012, Special Agent Bernard Hansen was part of an ATF Special Response Team undercover operation which was targeting subjects suspected of preparing a home invasion to rob the occupants of drugs and money.  The SRT agents planned to arrest the subjects at the gathering point located near the intersection of Grand and Iron in the south city neighborhood of Holly Hills.  As Special Agent Hansen emerged from the SRT truck to effect an arrest, one of the subjects, Dametrius Creighton, accelerated his Grand Prix in the direction of the special agent and the other members of the SRT team.  Special Agent Hansen fired several times into the vehicle in an effort to stop it.  One of the rounds fatally struck Myron Pollard who was riding in the front passenger seat of the Grand Prix.  The Government argued that the agent’s use of deadly force was reasonable under all of the circumstances and the jury agreed.  Creighton was convicted of conspiracy and firearms charges based on this incident and is serving a sentence at the federal prison facility in Marion, Illinois.  

The case was tried by Karin Schute and Nicholas Llewellyn of the United States Attorney’s Office who were assisted by Stephen Brodsky who is an ATF area counsel.