Lawsuit: SPD made racist arrest in bar fight

In April 2015, honor student Sean Perryman spent Easter weekend in jail after getting involved in a Friday night scuffle outside Capitol Hill's Rhino Room bar.

However, after reviewing surveillance footage reportedly showing that Perryman's only role in the melee was that of a mediator, prosecutors dropped charges.

But Perryman was left with tooth damage, mental trauma and a tainted record. Now he and his father -- a prominent Eastside reverend -- are suing the Seattle Police Department, the city of Seattle and the Rhino Room for what they believe was a racially motivated arrest.

Perryman, now 27, was the only black person involved in the incident, according to the lawsuit, which notes that Perryman's friends, the Rhino Room security guards and other patrons who got involved were all white.

The complaint also notes that both King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole apologized to Perryman for his arrest. However, an investigation by the police department's Office of Professional Accountability determined last month that officers committed no wrongdoing, spurring Perryman and his father to seek compensation from the city.

"When you look at how the police handled this so-called investigation ... we just sort of reached a conclusion that, yeah, there has to be racism associated with this," said Wayne Perryman, Sean Perryman's father.

Wayne and Sean Perryman are representing themselves in the lawsuit.

In the complaint, Sean Perryman is depicted as a dean's list student who graduated from Central Washington University and a lifelong law-abiding resident of Mercer Island. Wayne Perryman, working as a reverend at City Church in Kirkland, trains police agencies across the Eastside on race relations and has worked with Seattle police on gang issues.

The lawsuit claims Wayne Perryman has received commendations from multiple police chiefs for his work. Even so, he was cited in a 1998 New York Times column for being repeatedly stopped by police on Mercer Island without reason.

The incident in question occurred April 3, 2015, reports indicate. According to the lawsuit, this is what happened that night:

Sean Perryman and two other friends went to the Rhino Room and paid a cover charge. The two friends received wristbands for re-entry privileges, but Perryman did not, for unknown reasons.

Later that night, Perryman wanted to catch fresh air outside the bar and headed toward the door, but changed his mind and turned back toward the bar. However, a plainclothes security guard allegedly followed Perryman and asked him to leave, noting his lack of a wristband.

One of Perryman's friends came to his defense and grew "uncontrollably angry," arguing with the security guard. As the dispute moved outside, two other customers emerged from the bar and got involved without a clear reason and sided with the guard.

Perryman repeatedly tried to calm his friend down, even picking him up, carrying him down the street and asking him to go home -- however, the friend continued to return and argue with the security guard, and threatened to file a complaint against the bar.

The friend later tried to take a photo of the guard with his cell phone, but surveillance footage allegedly shows a guard taking the phone from him. The video also reportedly shows a guard knocking the friend to the ground, from behind, onto the sidewalk and "brutally" punching him in the head 12 times.

When Perryman reportedly tried to push the guard away from his friend, two other guards and one of the involved customers attacked Perryman and ultimately threw him into the street. Perryman's face hit the pavement, causing him to split his lips and chip some teeth. The security guards reportedly used a choke hold on him and applied a Taser to him. The intervening patron dislocated his knee while trying to kick Perryman.

Perryman's friend called 911 to report he had been assaulted, even as security guards continued to pursue him. The friend told the 911 call taker that guards had pinned Perryman's face to the ground and that Perryman was spitting out blood.

Police arrived and reportedly interviewed only the security guards and one of the bar customers who inexplicably got involved in the scuffle. Security guards reportedly told police that Perryman threw his own friend to the ground and kicked and punched another customer. This account was recorded in the Seattle Police Department's incident report. The lawsuit says their version of events contradicted what was caught on surveillance footage, but that police did not review those images at the scene.

The complaint also points out that the police report makes no mention of the 16 surveillance cameras on the property and accused the detective of waiting 11 days to acquire the video evidence.

Perryman spent the weekend in jail. He was later charged with third-degree assault.

"It was a horrible experience," Perryman wrote in a declaration filed with his lawsuit. "I thought I would lose my mind and called my dad every hour to get me out of jail. I couldn't eat or sleep."

Satterberg, apologizing later for how the investigation was handled, reportedly told the Perrymans it was difficult for him to obtain the surveillance footage because the detective kept the footage in his possession -- even as he went on vacation -- and did not enter it into evidence until after returning from vacation, two weeks after the case was dismissed that summer.

"This entire ordeal has been devastating and painful," Perryman wrote in his declaration. "To be fearful that I could serve time for something I did not do was unbearable. I couldn't understand why they intentionally lied to have me arrested, when I was the one who consistently tried to calm everyone down. These scars will forever remain with me."

Perryman suffers flashbacks from that night and lost his trust in police, he claims.

"He's still sort of devastated about it," his father said.

Even though the charge was dropped, the arrest remains on Perryman's record in background checks for employment and apartments, Wayne Perryman added.

Patrick Gabre-Kidan, owner of the Rhino Room, said that as an African American, it "hurts my feelings" to be accused of perpetuating racist conduct.

"It's just not who I am," Gabre-Kidan said.

Gabre-Kidan said he was at the bar the night of the fight and maintains that Perryman assaulted the patron whose knee was dislocated.

However, Perryman was "absolutely 100 percent a peacekeeper until that moment."

The Seattle Police Department offered only this comment: "While the department ultimately defers comment on pending litigation to the City Attorney's Office, this matter was investigated by the Seattle Police Department, the Office of Professional Accountability, and the King County Prosecutor's Office. The department is unaware of any finding of bias or misconduct by any Seattle Police Officer involved in responding to or investigating this chaotic incident outside the nightclub."

"It's crazy," Wayne Perryman said. "It didn't have to happen."

This story was updated to include comments from the Rhino Room's owner.